


Planet of Freedom

by bookscape



Category: Lost in Space (TV 1965)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-23 07:41:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 54,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20004706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookscape/pseuds/bookscape
Summary: While on Karturm, John studies all the files Will received from the galactic library and comes to the conclusion that Earth is about to be invaded.**Many apologies about chapters 10-23. For some strange reason, I was unable to import chapter ten and had to add the subsequent chapters from flash drives. It changed the formatting so that there are no spaces between paragraphs. if possible, I will go back and try to rectify that in the future.





	1. Chapter 1

_**Description:** _ **  
While staying on the planet Karturm, awaiting the arrival of Judy West's baby, John Robinson discovers the ominous possibility of an invasion of Earth. Determination to warn their home planet of the impending danger puts the entire family, as well as their new friends in great danger. This is the sequel to _Planet of Wishes_ , also archived on this site.**

**_Disclaimers_ :  
The crew of the _Jupiter II_ do not belong to me, but all other sentient and non-sentient beings within do, and with permission I might let you take them out to play.**

**_Dedication_ :  
This story is lovingly dedicated to my husband, Dan. He is the love of my life, my hero, my inspiration, my balance, my John Robinson. Some of the character traits threaded throughout are taken from his personality.**

**_A note from the Author:_  
The location of the 'family reunions' on Earth, in both Planet of Wishes and Planet of Freedom is a real place. Cade's Cove was described almost exactly as it is. Townsend is a real town, sitting outside of the Smoky Mountain National Park, and I have stayed in 'cabins' and motels there many times. I tried to capture the feel of the area, but words can't totally give the entire picture. These places are located in east Tennessee south of Knoxville.**

**  
**Likewise, I want to thank my dear friend, Patricia Crumpler for keeping me in line with the characters and the plot. I wanted to stay close to the premise of the original program, but with additions of my own. Patricia is a wonderful author, who has taken the time to help me with my projects. I would like to thank everyone else whose response to my creation of the flutter-dragons has given me the impetus to continue the story.  
I thought that this would be the end of the cycle, but alas for my bedtime, there is at least one more story waiting. And that is the story of the flutter-dragons' origin, which will tentatively be called The Planet of Dragons. Original, what?  
  
Sue 

**  
** 20 February 1999 

****

**Chapter One \- Life on a Most Idyllic Planet**

**On Memorial Day by their Earth calendar Penny decided to explore the snowy woods of their home on Karturm. She had grown up in California and Texas and very seldom experienced a real snow. And this one had been one of the loveliest she had ever seen. She had sat on the observation deck earlier in the day, mesmerized, watching big, fat snowflakes fall from the sky. Now, though she wanted to experience it first hand, before all the snow melted away in the afternoon sunshine.**

**She donned her parka, warm boots, and gloves. And all the while, Lucy, her rose-tinted, white flutter-dragon flew in tight circles around her head. The little lizard was part of a group that had bonded to the humans and when the weather turned cold and the other lizards had migrated, their nine had remained, spending nights in the Jupiter II, although Penny got the feeling that the little creatures really didn’t care for the closed surroundings. Sometimes, she didn’t either; just like right now.**

**A tiny habitat had been set up on the observation deck where replicated nectar was provided for them, but most of the time they took their naps near the humans with whom they had become close. Penny giggled to herself. In her case, it didn’t make any difference how she slept, whenever she woke up, there were lizards all over her pillow, since she had four. But that was all right with her. She considered herself four times luckier than the others.**

**Her mother was in the kitchen area, preparing some special dish for dinner. Even though most of the ingredients were replicated, Mom was able to make the most delicious meals from them. Will had teasingly asked her one day why she just didn’t replicate the finished product. Mom had chased him out of the kitchen with her serving spoon, but Penny had noticed a smile on her face. That night, Will was very nice and complimented Mom a great deal.**

**"Mom, I’m going out to enjoy the snow. I’ll just be out in the woods," she said brightly.**

**Her mother looked her over and Penny could see a careful inventory being taken of her clothing; making sure she was dressed warmly enough. "Be careful, Penny. Don’t stay out too long."**

**"I will, Mom, and I won’t be out for a long time. Wouldn’t want to miss dinner anyway."**

**Mom smiled. "All right, dear, have fun."**

**Lucy continued to fly tightly around her head. "It’s too cold for you. Wait here. I’ll be back soon," she scolded the lizard and sent her away. Soon Penny was out in the snow, making snow angels and a snowman, before walking down one of the familiar paths in the forest. Will had come out and helped her with the snowman, but declined her offer to walk in the woods.**

**In a way, she was glad; the solitude was relaxing. As much as she loved her family, sometimes there had to be time to oneself and as much as she had come to enjoy her four friends, they had a tendency to intrude on her thoughts with stray feelings and pictures of things they were seeing. It was exhilarating on the one hand, but annoying on the other. Penny formed snowballs and tossed them at tree trunks. If the thaw continued, the snow would be totally gone by tomorrow. With that thought in mind, she quickened her pace on the trail and suddenly found herself flailing her arms for balance, when she took a step and found nothing but a drop off.**

**Startled, Penny cried out as she slid down a steep incline into a little gully. Although the distance to the bottom was short, the girl fell awkwardly and when she landed her ankle twisted painfully. Sitting up, she brushed away the wet snow and then got to her feet, or rather tried to. The sprained ankle gave out from under her and Penny landed back in the snow. When she tried to crawl up the slope, the ankle hurt too much to do that, too.**

**Looking around for a limb to use as a cane or crutch, she was not able to find anything useful. Remembering her communicator, she dug in her pocket and came out with just broken remains. Looking at it in disbelief, Penny sighed and stuffed the pieces back in her pocket. Pondering, the only option that she could think of was to wait for someone to miss her and come searching. The sky looked dark enough that it must be getting close to sunset.**

**The air began to get colder and the wet snow on her pants had soaked through to her skin. Penny felt a sudden surge of panic flow through her and she wondered how long it would be before Dad came for her. Then a peculiar prickling sensation came into her mind and she felt Lucy’s presence. Of course, her lizards could help Dad and Don find her. Ignoring the cold, the wet and the pain of her ankle, Penny tried to focus her mind on Lucy. ‘ _Help me_ ,’ she thought as hard as she could. She put as clear a picture of the ravine as she could. After awhile, she had to stop, feeling mentally exhausted.**

* * *

**John was working in the cargo bay, checking out the equipment for use when spring finally decided to come. As he worked underneath the chariot, Silverado perched on his foot, squeaking indignantly every time he moved his leg and dislodged the little lizard. Finally the flutter-dragon gave up and found a roost on a rung of the vehicle’s ladder. Chuckling at his little friend’s discomfiture, John continued to check the undercarriage.**

**Without warning, the professor felt a slight shiver of fear pass in front of his thoughts. Frowning, he wondered who’s lizard had passed along whose emotions and then just shrugged it off, until he heard a squeak near his left ear and turning his head looked directly into the golden eyes of both Lucy and Silverado. John was surprised, as he had always thought the little creatures a bit afraid of the machinery. Then he saw a brief picture of a snow covered ravine and heard a soft mental cry for help.**

**"Penny!" John cried and raised up before sliding all the way out from under the chariot, banging his head on the axle mount. Ignoring the pain, he called for Don, who was working on other equipment nearby. The flutter-dragons had scrambled out from under the chariot and were flying in tight circles around the cargo bay.**

**"Yeah, John. What’s up?" came the muffled answer. Not waiting to find out exactly where the major was, he called out, "Don, Penny’s outside and in trouble. I’m going to go out and find her. You stand by in case I need help." Without waiting for an answer, John went up the elevator, grabbed his Ugorrim coat, a pair of gloves and a communicator. He passed by the galley on his way to the outer door.**

**"Maureen, man the communicator, I’m going out to find Penny. She’s in trouble," he said quickly to his wife. Seeing her shocked expression, he turned back and gave his wife a brief hug and kiss. "It’ll be all right, I’ll find her."**

**Lucy sat on his shoulder and wouldn’t be budged when he lowered the service ramp. "It’s too cold out there for you," he told the stubborn lizard. She stared hard into his eyes. Sighing, John undid the top of his coat and the flutter-dragon crawled inside, hanging on to his shirt.**

**As he started down the path that his daughter had taken, he felt the nudge of a presence in his mind and knew that Penny’s white flutter-dragon was trying to help him find his daughter. In the deepening twilight, he let the flashlight play along the snowy path and along the trees. John saw where several snowballs had smacked against the trunks of trees and knew he on the right path. Thankfully she had gone through virgin snow, but in places it was so sparse and had melted enough that he had trouble finding her footprints.**

**As he kept walking along the regular path though, John realized that Penny had turned off somewhere. That was when Lucy crawled out from inside his coat and climbed on his shoulder. From there she launched herself into the frigid evening sky and retraced the route back to a spot where apparently Penny had left the main trail. Using the flashlight, John kept the lizard in sight, trudging some distance down the new path. About the time that Lucy suddenly disappeared, he heard the plaintive call of his daughter as though from a distance. And then the flutter-dragon startled him by appearing right in front of his face, fluttering her gossamer wings frantically.**

**Seeing a vision of the ravine brought back vivid and painful memories of his own fall down a crevasse, and he called out loudly to her, hoping that she was all right. "Dad, I fell down this gully and hurt my ankle," her voice floated up to him. Stopping at the edge, John shined the flashlight down and found her about three meters down a steep incline. Lucy floated down to her mistress and huddled around her neck.**

**Carefully, John slid/climbed down to her. "Penny, darling, are you all right? Other than your ankle?"**

**"Yes, Dad, just cold. I’m so glad you found me," she said, tears trickling down her cheeks.**

**He hugged her tightly, grateful to have found her so soon. "So am I, although it was Lucy who led me here so quickly." The lizard stiffly crawled inside Penny’s jacket as John called the Jupiter II to reassure his family. Then he picked up his daughter. "You hold the flashlight and the communicator, Penny."**

**Carefully John made his way down the little ravine until he came to a place where he could climb out. It took a bit of negotiating to get through the brush carrying his daughter, but finally they made it to the main trail and soon after that found Don waiting for them near the Jupiter II.**

**That night, after Penny’s ankle had been examined and bound, and she was safely in bed, John lay next to Maureen in their cabin and thought of the lizards’ roles in the rescue. His wonder increased at the bond that had been forged and seemed to continually be strengthening as time passed. He thought of Penny’s consternation when she noticed that Lucy’s rosy sheen had disappeared, evidently due to the lizard’s exposure to the cold. Lucy, herself had consoled her companion, nuzzling up under her chin and crooning. The other lizards had joined in, making a veritable ring of flutter-dragons around the girl, who soon stopped crying and fell asleep.**

**Shrugging, he pulled his wife close to him and embraced her tenderly. Murmuring sleepily, she shifted to accommodate him and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.**

* * *

**That was the last cold spell of the winter. Within a week, spring had entrenched itself, with buds forming on the trees and breaking through the soil. The days warmed enough to leave parkas and then jackets in the space ship. On one of the warmer days, Judy had walked to her favorite place, the pond where she and Don had spent many evenings before the short winter had set in.**

**Sitting quietly underneath a tree, she watched the water softly rippling with the slight breeze that whispered through the glade. Feeling a movement, she put her hand on her stomach, focusing on the baby’s movement; the kicking and turning as though he were on his very own private jungle gym. The baby’s activity seemed very much like the rippling wavelets on the pond, soft and soothing one moment and more intense the next.**

**Shifting to ease a pain in her back, Judy thought of the idyllic setting. Then she visualized a little girl putting her hand on her mother’s stomach, amazement at the miracle occurring right in front of her. Then fear as later on the little girl’s mother cried out in pain as the baby that she was carrying decided to come faster and sooner than it should have. Judy frowned, remembering Will’s entrance into the world and then shrugged it out of her memory. Everything would be fine, the baby would be healthy and beautiful. He would grow strong and tall in this Eden.**

**Aurora flitted above the ripples of the pond, agitating the clouds of insects floating above the water, then the lizard flew back, landed on Judy’s shoulder, eased her way down to her stomach and crooned softly, looking up at the expectant mother with golden eyes gleaming. As another lizard zipped into the small clearing, Aurora launched herself and joined her golden companion, the pair looping in the afternoon sun, hues of violet and gold blending, coalescing into one bright blur.**

**"Hi, Don," Judy said without even looking up. She had felt his presence at the same time that Jimmy Doolittle, his flutter-dragon, had appeared. (She remembered with a laugh, the day that Don had first named his lizard; ‘General Jimmy Doolittle, greatest aviator of World War II,’ Don had announced.)**

**"Hello, Princess," he said, easing himself down next her. "How are you and junior?"**

**"Don, we have to pick a name for this baby. I really don’t like you calling him junior," she said testily.**

**"Pax," he said, chuckling. "Personally, I think we should name him after your dad or mine."**

**"As much as I love my dad, I think that having two people answer to the name John would be confusing. And I do happen to like your father’s name," she said agreeably.**

**"Very well, Mark it is," Don said brightly. "Now if all our decisions were made that easily." Laughing, he turned and kissed Judy tenderly. Suddenly she felt a burst of happiness that caused her to laugh along with her husband, and their tender kisses became longer and more passionate.**  
  
---


	2. Chapter 2

Planet of Freedom

_**Planet of Freedom**_  
  
---  
  
****

**Chapter Two - More Life on an Idyllic Planet**

**Will found a new path and, curious, decided to follow it for a short distance. As he explored, he noticed the landscape changing, becoming more rocky and rugged. He remembered Penny’s experience, and watched the path at his feet very carefully. Soon he heard a sound that indicated a river or large stream and coming around a rocky outcropping, saw the river, shallow enough to walk across if necessary, but deep enough to accommodate water life.**

**Reaching into his pocket for his communicator, Will was dismayed to find that he had forgotten it back in his cabin. "Nuts," he said to himself, knowing that his folks would worry that he was gone so long. Nova, his green flutter-dragon sat on a limb above him, preening. Looking up, he wondered if he would be able to send the little lizard home with a message. "Nova," he called softly. The lizard floated down to him and sat on his hand, turning his head inquiringly.**

**Trying to put everything out of his mind, he thought a message to Nova. ‘ _Go home. Tell Dad I’m here by the river. I’ll be home soon_.’ The flutter-dragon squeaked a confirmation, and Will saw a quick flash of his father in his mind’s eye. At least Nova understood part of the message; hopefully he would understand the rest.**

* * *

**Don and John were using plans pulled from the computer and parts of old equipment to make a small storage shed in the clearing near the Jupiter II. As neither were construction workers, this was a new experience, and at times a frustrating one. They had spent most of the morning and afternoon building the frame, only now getting one side up.**

**"I sincerely hope that the Jupiter II holds up for a long time, John, because it may take that long for us to figure out how to build a house," Don said tersely, gritting his teeth as he held the side panel against the frame for John to bolt on. "Hurry up, will you, this thing’s heavy."**

**"Keep it steady against the frame, and maybe I can hurry," John retorted, sweat trickling in his eyes. Grabbing a towel, he took care of that problem and then tightened the bolt that would hold the panel until more could be installed. Sighing, Don eased back from the structure and grinned at their handiwork. Then he grabbed another ratchet and screwed in more bolts.**

**"One down and three more to go. Think we’re going to get another panel up before dark?" the pilot asked.**

**"If it kills us, Don," John answered with a thin smile. "I amazes me that we can fly all over the galaxy, outsmart aliens, learn other languages, rebuild the Robot, so on and so forth and we can’t build a four by eight outbuilding." Then he began laughing. Don looked at him curiously. "Silverado just flashed a mental vision of the two of us, and it’s not a pretty picture. Two rocket jockeys all dirty and sweaty putting a big jigsaw puzzle together."**

**Don laughed with him. Nova, Will’s lizard, flew in and landed on John’s right shoulder, squeaking happily. Silverado flew down from a nearby tree and joined him, the two forming a chorus.**

**"Will isn’t in trouble, is he?" Don asked, in concern.**

**"No, I don’t think so." He held the little lizard in his hand and stared into his golden eyes, trying to figure what he was attempting to tell him. Silverado squeaked, and John had a clear picture of Will sitting on a riverbank. "It appears that Will has found a river not too far away. But he’s safe. I suppose that’s what he sent Nova back to tell me. He must have left his communicator here." John focused on a little message of his own and sent both lizards out to the river.**

**As the two men worked together putting up another wall of the shed, Don couldn’t help but be amazed at John’s ability to understand the lizard’s communication. Jimmy was lucky to pass along a stray emotion or visual picture every once in a while.**

* * *

**Several weeks later, Penny was walking aimlessly through the woods on now familiar paths. During the morning, she had worked with her mother on computer programs for long range scans. They had been able to push the distance of the scans another two kilometers on the planet’s surface. Mom had assured her that the distance in space would be much greater owing to the lack of atmospheric interference.**

**While realizing the importance of this training, Penny just wasn’t able to push herself to excel today. Finally Mom had called a halt to the ‘lesson’ and sent her out to get some sun. The meteorological report called for another round of spring rains, which Penny was told would give them ample opportunity to work together the next day. Grimacing at the thought, Penny called her lizards to her.**

**Sitting on a rock, the girl focused all of her thoughts on her four lizards. She gave instructions to each one to perform complicated aerial maneuvers. They did that for a while, executing her directions flawlessly. Then they squeaked their displeasure and began a dance in the air above that would have made a ballet dancer jealous.**

**Penny loved to watch them perform their maneuvers in the sky. Watching them, she was awed at the amount of communication that passed between them since her accident the previous month. Occasionally she felt rudimentary thoughts, more than just pictures and emotions. She knew that her dad had formed a tight bond with his lizard, but she didn’t think it was to the extent that she and her foursome had. Pondering, Penny wondered why some members of the family had developed this talent more than others.**

**But as close as she was to her friends and as thrilled as she was with her new-found talent, there was still a small amount of dissatisfaction that she had been feeling lately. It was a kind of restlessness that Penny couldn’t figure out a cure for. Her parents acted as though they would be happy to remain here forever, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to stay here. It was as though she was missing something.**

**And yet, the girl almost felt panic when she thought of leaving her foursome behind. Squeaking, the quartet almost immediately dove from the sky and landed on her shoulders. They hung on to her long hair with their tiny hands and sent thoughts of separation fears into her mind. "No, my darlings, I would never leave you," she told them. "I would figure out a way to take you with me if we ever left."**

**The flutter-dragons settled down until all she heard was a small mental crooning. Lucy informed her that Mom had finished dinner and was calling everyone in. Smiling at the satisfied look in her friends’ eyes, she began running down the path, laughing as her lizards were bounced off. Thus began a race that always ended with the flutter-dragons as victors.**

* * *

**John Robinson opened one eye and lethargically considered the bobbing motion of the fishing pole propped at his feet. Even after eight months on this planet, he kept wondering what was wrong with this picture. This was the longest they had stayed anywhere since the ill-fated beginning of their voyage, except for Priplanus, but that planet wasn’t nearly as pleasant or safe as this one.**

**And yet despite, or maybe because of, the relative safety of this idyllic planet, John found himself feeling restless, without purpose. Paradise was not all it was cracked up to be. A brief vision of a freckle-faced, red-haired thirteen-year-old boy hiding in the tree limbs above him appeared in his mind’s eye.**

**John closed his eyes and focused on the scene, wondering what Will was up to this time. His youngest child crept out on the limb right above him, slowly and carefully, making almost no discernible noise. In his hand Will held a small seedpod, which he aimed at his head. It was a bit disconcerting seeing himself through another’s eyes, but he was beginning to get used to it. John reached his hand out just as his son let the ‘missile’ go, catching it deftly before the pod reached its destination.**

**"Dad, that’s no fair," Will protested good-naturedly. "Silverado’s always tattling to you."**

**Laughing, John tossed the pod into the bushes and looked up at his mischievous child. "First of all, Will, I sent Silverado back to the Jupiter II several hours ago with strict instructions not to come back. So it must have been Nova this time."**

**Will slid down the trunk as John checked the fishing pole. The bait was gone and the hook was empty. Nova flew around the boy’s head in tight circles while Will berated the tiny creature. When Will reached the ground, the flutter-dragon settled on his arm and squeaked softly, his golden eyes glowing brightly. Will laughed when Nova cocked his head to one side. John laughed with him. It was utterly impossible to be angry at the flutter-dragons because they were such charming creatures and had never shown the slightest propensity for guile or hostility.**

**Spreading out his gossamer wings, Nova launched himself into the slight breezes, flew above the treetops and disappeared toward the spacecraft that the humans called home.**

**"Sent him home, too, I gather?" John asked his son. He rebaited the hook and cast the line back in.**

**"Yes, sir. Probably for the same reason you sent Silverado home," Will answered with a smile.**

**"Surely you’re not saying that our little friends are pests, are you?" he teased his son, as he slowly began reeling the line back in.**

**"Of course not, Dad, but sometimes I feel Nova is right in my head, feeling everything I feel and hearing everything I think. It’s just a bit...uh, uncomfortable sometimes. You know what I mean?"**

**"Yes, Will, I know exactly what you mean." What John didn’t tell Will was that sometimes it wasn’t just Silverado whose personality rustled around in his head but the passage of thoughts from the others through their lizards. Disconcerting was the term he would use, because he figured it worked the other way, too.**

**"And sometimes I feel other’s thoughts, too. Not often, but sometimes. Kind of.... disconcerting," Will said hesitantly, as though trying out a new word for the first time.**

**John glanced at his son and was shocked to realize that Will had ‘heard’ at least a little of what he was thinking. Thoughts were almost never passed directly between the various humans although he had been able to pick up Penny’s thoughts when her emotions were strong. But that usually only happened when one of the flutter-dragons was around to amplify or conduct a message. John wondered if the planet itself was having some effect on his family. Except for Penny, no one had shown the slightest propensity towards telepathy or any other para-normal talent before they had reached this planet.**

**A splashing in the river and a jerking at his line interrupted any further speculation. John began concentrating on landing the fish, which promised to be a big one. About the time that he reeled his in close enough to the bank to scoop it up in the net, Will had a strike on his line, one which threatened to pull the boy in. Father and son spent the next five minutes wrestling with the biggest fish that either one of them had ever seen, here or on Earth.**

**Before they set out for home, John and Will dressed the half dozen fish they had caught. "I believe if we start out now, we’ll make it back in time for your mother to cook these tonight," he declared. Slinging the basket of fish over his shoulder, he waited for Will to gather up the rest of the equipment before they starting down the now well-established path toward the Jupiter II.**

**"We really did good today, didn’t we?" Will asked. It wasn’t two minutes before Nova and Silverado were fluttering around their heads. "I don’t think they went back to the Jupiter II, Dad. They must have been waiting in the woods."**

**John looked askance at his friend and chuckled. "You are an unconscionable little creature," he informed the flutter-dragon in a good-natured tone. Silverado just squeaked softly, landed on his shoulder, and curled his tail around John’s neck.**

**As they walked into the clearing around the space ship, John noticed in amusement that Maureen had the pans ready for fish dinner. "We have delivered, oh, mistress of culinary delights. Feast your eyes on the monster that Will pulled out of the river."**

**He put the basket of fish on the table and gave his wife a kiss and hug. "Where is everybody?" he asked, noting the deserted appearance of the area.**

**"Judy was a bit tired after helping me in the garden this morning, so Don took her to the small pool nearby. I think she was feeling a bit depressed over the loss of her figure, too," Maureen informed him.**

**"I seem to remember someone else having the same problem," John chuckled.**

**"True, but you never took me to a secluded pond to make me feel better," Maureen answered.**

**"Touché, my love. But we didn’t have the pastoral life style that we have right now, either. I seem to remember two young people working desperately to finish their degrees." John shook the seasonings that Maureen had previously prepared on the fish and tossed them into the now hot pans. The aroma soon permeated the air and made his mouth water. He loved pan-fried fish.**

**"Silverado," he said, looking into his lizard’s golden eyes and concentrating. "Go let Judy and Don know that dinner is ready." The flutter-dragon squeaked. ‘ _Dinner_ ,’ he mentally told the lizard, ‘ _Go tell them now_.’ Silverado took off into the darkening sky.**  
  
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**[Chapter Three](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom3.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	3. Planet of Freedom

Planet of Freedom

_**Planet of Freedom**_  
  
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**Chapter Three \- Paradise Lost**

**Spring was beginning to cycle into summer, and Judy sat basking in the warmth of the late afternoon sun, feeling pleasure as well as discontent. That both emotions could sit side by side in her heart puzzled her, but that was how she had felt a great deal these days. The baby kicked and turned and she looked down with a slight smile. Little Mark was dancing again, she thought happily. Don reached over and placed his hand gently on her stomach, smiling when he felt the movement, too. Judy placed her hand over his, and they sat that way for a few minutes.**

**Up until a couple of months ago, it had not been quite so obvious that she was pregnant, but it seemed in the last six weeks that the baby had gone through a rampant growth spurt. At seven and a half months, Judy was beginning to feel totally awkward and uncomfortable.**

**"Judy, what’s bothering you?" Don asked softly. "I know that something has made you feel unhappy lately, but I don’t know what."**

**Judy looked down, trying to put into words what had been clattering around in her mind the past month. "I don’t know how to say what I’m feeling without sounding like a baby myself," she said. Her back had been hurting off and on for several months and the indigestion was terrible; it didn’t matter what she ate. But that wasn’t the main reason for her feelings. She chuckled slightly. As soon as the morning sickness had dissipated, then the other things had started up. Murphy’s law.**

**"Try me. Although I’m trying to figure out if you’re happy or sad right now," he said looking at her with concern etched on his face.**

**"I am so happy to be having this baby; our child. When I think about it, I feel such joy. But on the other hand I feel afraid," she looked at her husband intently. Then she laughed softly. "I suppose it’s no wonder that you can’t figure it out. I can’t either."**

**Don leaned over and gently kissed her, letting his hand run through her soft blonde hair. "What has you scared, dear heart?"**

**"Don, I know that the Jupiter II is a well equipped ship medically, but as it gets closer to the time when the baby is due, I can’t help but feel afraid. I’m most afraid for Mark and I suppose this might seem a bit selfish, but I’m just afraid. I remember how hard it was for Mom when Will was born. I was ten at the time, and even though everyone told me not to worry, I was so scared for her and for Will, too. And we were near good hospitals." Judy looked intently at her husband, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I feel so....babyish. You know, I’m supposed to be strong and all that, but I can’t help feeling this way." She swept her hand around, pointing out the area around them bathed in soft sunlight. "It’s so beautiful here, but it’s so primitive!"**

**Don took her in his arms and held her close. "For what it’s worth, my love, I’ll be with you the whole time. And you’re stronger than you think. Always remember that. And I also have great confidence in your mother. She’s well trained and she says that everything is going normally."**

**As Aurora had been in the habit of doing lately, she dropped down from the tree and lightly landed on her stomach. The lizard stared down with gleaming eyes as though she could see the growing child inside. Cocking her head to one side and then the other, the flutter-dragon next looked up and stared directly into Judy’s eyes. The baby was growing healthy as he should, happy and content within her. Judy’s tranquillity grew as the messages from the little lizard corroborated what her husband and her mother had told her. Her feelings of fear dissipated and she settled back against Don’s chest, letting him massage her stomach in the gentle motions that Maureen had taught him. And as he leaned over, he gently kissed her neck and ear, causing her to giggle with pleasure.**

* * *

**John was looking over the charts on Will’s disk. Since he knew that the ship wouldn’t take off until after the baby was born, he had felt no need for haste in examining the information. But spring rains had driven the family indoors for a few days, and John had felt the compulsion to finish the job he had worked on sporadically during the cooler winter months.**

**Silverado was sitting on top of the robot’s clear dome, squeaking softly. The flutter-dragons seemed much less reluctant to come into the ship, but after a certain period of time, were ready to go back out into the forests. "Go on, if you need to," John told him absently. He had just gotten to the Alpha Centauri charts and was examining them before loading the data into the Jupiter II’s main computer. Amazed at his son’s attention to detail, the professor assumed that the next chart would be that of Earth, but found he was wrong; this one was the last.**

**He was about to close down the computer when he noticed some symbols in the corner of the screen. "Robot, that looks like some kind of computer code. Can you make it out?"**

**The family’s B-9 environmental robot wheeled over and looked at the figures with its optical scanners. "The best that my data banks can figure out, it is a request code for the next star chart," it intoned.**

**"Robot, locate Will."**

**"Yes, Professor Robinson," the Robot said evenly and stood quietly while it scanned its locators. "Will Robinson is in the cargo bay, working on the chariot with Major West. Do you wish for him to come to the observation deck?"**

**"Yes, please, Robot," John informed him.**

**Soon Will was at his side, wiping lubricant from his hands with a rag. "Son, did you order up additional star charts?"**

**"Yes, sir, I did, but they weren’t available," Will said, but at his father’s curious look, he continued. "Someone from a place called Graxod was looking at them."**

**Suddenly little fingers of apprehension started prickling up John’s spine, and he began wondering what reason an alien race might be interested in Earth. Thinking about the star charts he had just looked at, someone else could say the same thing about them, but there was something that continued to urge him to investigate.**

**"Did you learn anything about these Graxodians?" he asked.**

**"No, but I think I met one on my way out," Will said, and proceeded to recall the encounter with Lord Mrolon, remembering things that had been forgotten until now. The boy was apprehensive at the alarm beginning to show on his father’s face.**

**"Will, I think you had better tell me again what happened at that library and try not to leave out any details this time."**

**After Will had given him a detailed report of his encounter with the alien on Wereeshen, John sat back in the chair and looked at the monitor without really seeing it. He wanted to believe that someone was just curious, but a part of him wouldn’t let go of a nagging feeling that something sinister was going on.**

**"Dad, do you think that the Graxod wanted the star charts for some kind of conquest?" Will asked.**

**Sighing, he looked up at Will’s worried face and nodded. The boy could take a few clues and deduce anything. "Will, don’t say anything about this for the moment until I have had a chance to think it all through."**

**Getting up and putting on a jacket, John walked out into the drizzle and down a now familiar path through the forest. Seeing in his mind’s eye a picture of rain-slicked rocks and flowing water, he decided that the small pool was as good a place to contemplate as any other. Silverado greeted John with happy squeaks as soon as he walked into the clearing, landing on his shoulder and clutching on with tiny paws.**

**"Am I just being paranoid?" he said softly to nothing in particular. But knowing himself as he did, John knew that if there were any possibility of danger to his home planet, he would have to check it out. And there was only one way to do that. The drizzle intensified into a steady rain, which John felt served as a reflection to his dismal mood. But still he sat and thought, even after the rain began finding a way under his collar.**

**This was to be the planet of his grandson’s birth, beautiful, peaceful, and relatively safe and except for the amenities of a hospital, ideal. And now this news was going to take that certainty away. Rubbing the rain out of his eyes, he slowly got up from the sodden ground. John decided that a bit more research was in order before unduly alarming his family.**

**As he walked up the ramp, all of the flutter-dragons floated and squeaked around his head. Staring at them all fiercely, he tried to focus a command that they had to keep still about his theory. Silverado chirped loudly and the others echoed in softer tones.**

**After drying off and changing, he started back to the observation room. Judy met him just before he reached the elevator. "Dad, lunch is ready." She peered at him, taking note of his still wet hair. "Have you been outside in this rain?"**

**"Yes, I have. And just because you are soon going to be a mother yourself, doesn’t mean you can start mothering me. That’s your mom’s job," he chuckled good-naturedly. Her behavior reminded him so much of Maureen when they were younger and she was expecting. Radiant, that was the term he had heard often and he didn’t understand it’s true meaning until he had lived through his wife’s pregnancies.**

**"Judy, there are some things that I need to do in the observation room, so just put mine in the fridge. I’ll get it later," he told her with a slight smile and then went up the elevator.**

**"Robot," John asked as he entered the observation deck. "You were here while Will was explaining his experience on Wereeshen. With that in mind, plus the information on the tapes, what would you say is the probability of a Graxod invasion or attack of Earth?"**

**"I must examine the information on my data disks, Professor Robinson," the machine intoned. Several minutes later it said, "With the limited amount of data available, I would compute that the probability of a Graxod visitation of the Earth would be about fifty percent, with a plus or minus variation of five percent. If I had more information, I could make a better guess."**

**"Thank you, Robot. Would you and I be able to pilot the Jupiter II to Earth alone?"**

**"It would be very difficult, Professor Robinson, but it is possible."**

**He sighed, realizing that the Robot’s answer didn’t really make the problem easier to resolve. Sitting down at the navigational computer, John did some rough calculations of the amount of time the hyperspace jumps would take from Karturm to Earth and frowned at those results as well. He decided that it was time for a family conference.**

**John called everyone together and then paced back and forth across the observation deck, very much conscious of the scrutiny of his family. The little lizards were assembled on top of the Robot’s dome and anywhere else they could find a perch on the automaton. Under normal circumstances, the Robot seemed to like occasionally raising and lowering his dome to aggravate the tiny creatures. This time, though, he stood still, sensing the gravity of the situation.**

**"For crying out loud, John, tell us what’s bothering you so much that you gathered us in here to watch you pace," Don finally said.**

**"I’ve learned something that’s disturbed me a great deal. But then again, it could just be my paranoid mind at work," he said cryptically.**

**Maureen gazed closely at her husband. The past months had been so peaceful and relaxing for the entire family that this display of anxiety from John disturbed her greatly. For some reason, the lizards weren’t acting as conduits, and what was even more astonishing was the fact that they weren’t even making any noise. All nine of them just sat on the robot staring at John with their golden eyes.**

**"I have reason to believe that Earth is going to be invaded or at least visited by a hostile alien race. The ‘visit’ may already have taken place."**

**Maureen gazed in shocked silence for a moment. "John, what brought you to that conclusion?" she finally asked.**

**"I decided to do what I should have done a long time ago, and that was to finish going through those charts that Will brought back," he turned away from the group and looked out the observation window for a moment before turning back. The lizards started crooning softly, as though in sympathy, but John glared at them and they promptly ceased. Silverado flapped his wings in agitation, glaring back at his human.**

**"I should have checked out that disk a long time ago," he repeated with a sigh.**

**Maureen was now able to feel the depth of his inner turmoil. She was continually astonished that as close as they had always been, the sojourn on this planet had brought them even closer. "John, you had no way of knowing," she said, trying to comfort him.**

**"But what led you to think Earth is going to be invaded?" Don asked. Maureen knew that Don trusted John’s decisions most of the time, but she heard a slight skepticism in his voice.**

**John had Will relate his experience on Wereeshen and then he told them how he had reached his conclusion.**

**"So what do we do now?" Don asked simply.**

**"There are two options," John stated tersely. "One is that the Robot and I will use the charts Will provided and travel to Earth with the warning. You will be in command here until I come back. I’ll leave the medical supplies, but I....."**

**"And the second is that we all go and give the warning together," Maureen interrupted, uncharacteristically.**

**"Yes, that’s the other option. I don’t like either one. I can make no guarantees of getting back in time for the baby’s birth by going alone, but on the other hand, I worry about any possible dangers on the way or what might happen if we meet up with these Graxod," John stated.**

**Judy slid out of her chair a bit awkwardly and walked over to the control panel to face her father. "Dad, I know that if it weren’t for my pregnancy, you would have this ship out of here in a heartbeat. I’m as safe traveling in the Jupiter II as I am anywhere else. Even as tranquil as this planet is, we all know that there are dangers anywhere we go. There have even been a few moments during our stay here. I can tell how strongly you feel about this threat. I say we go."**

**"John, I don’t know which of the two options you are leaning toward, but I agree with Judy," Maureen said. "We are in this together. If you feel that Earth is in danger, then we all go to give the warning and do what we can to help."**  
  
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**[Chapter Four](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom4.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	4. Planet of Freedom

Planet of Freedom

_**Planet of Freedom**_  
  
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**Chapter Four - Preparations and Take-off**

**"Very well, we all go," John said, "And since we have kept everything at optimum levels, no more than three days should be needed to prepare for takeoff." John’s voice took on a determined edge. "We leave everything that is of no importance and we don’t worry about dismantling anything we’ve built outside; we’ll be back."**

**Suddenly all of their tiny companions started squeaking in great agitation, flapping their shimmering wings. Nine flutter-dragons launched themselves simultaneously from the Robot’s frame and landed on their humans’ shoulders. Long tails wrapped around necks almost in a chokehold.**

**It was very clear to Maureen that the tiny lizards had no intention of being separated from their adopted companions. "I believe that our friends are expressing their opinions as well," she said with a laugh. "Now all we have to do is figure out a way to make the trip comfortable for them."**

**"What if we build a botanical garden for them. In the cargo bay. Something more permanent than the small arboretum that we built to help them through the winter months," Penny suggested.**

**The lizards began to settle down, tails loosening from around necks and the squeaking changing to a soft crooning. "We could use or duplicate some of the hydroponics equipment and bring in more of their natural vegetation," Penny continued, thinking anxiously that separation from her tiny friends would be almost too hard to bear. Her dad still had not said anything. "I could do most of the work if someone could help me move things."**

**Her dad looked thoughtfully at her and then smiled. "I agree that we can’t leave the flutter-dragons here," he said. "They’re more than pets. You head the committee to make a habitat for them, but make sure it’s built in a place that won’t interfere with the use of any of our equipment. And call on any of us to help you." Penny was ecstatic. Although pretty sure of her dad’s feelings about the little creatures, she had felt a bit of the same panic that her four had felt.**

**"Thanks, Dad," she cried happily and then rushed to the stairwell heading down to the cargo bay. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy squeaked merrily and fluttered behind her like a rainbow trailing in her wake.**

**Surveying the cargo bay, Penny shook her head. It would be hard to find a niche in the crowded room to establish a permanent habitat for nine lizards. Pacing around the outer perimeter of the bay, she picked and discarded several sites before deciding on a suitable one. It was far away from the cargo lock and the large vehicles, such as the chariot and the atmospheric explorer. It was also near the stairwell and the elevator. Singing softly to herself, Penny began moving things around to clear a larger space. Her foursome sat on one of the rungs of the ladder and crooned happily.**

**"You’re a big help," she told them with a laugh. They just cocked their heads and squeaked at her. Lucy flew over and landed on her shoulder as she sketched out a rough draft of the new arboretum. Happily, Penny continued working until Silverado came down to get her for dinner.**

* * *

**John watched his youngest daughter bounce to the stairwell and smiled at her exuberance. He wished he had that kind of exuberance. "Maureen, enlist anyone you need to stock food supplies. I’m afraid it’s back to a total regimen of replicated cuisine," John said with a sigh. "Don, I’ll need your help later to begin checking the flight systems. Will, I need you to work with me on the hyperdrive coordinates."**

**"And the pregnant woman will help where ever she might be needed," Judy added with a smile, watching everyone head off to do their respective tasks.**

**"Judy, you can help me over here at the control panel because you, my dear, are going to continue your pilot’s training by helping with a bit of pre-flight preparations," Don told her.**

**John glanced quickly at the couple and then turned his attention back to the navigational computer. "Will, I noticed that you didn’t pull up the chart for Wereeshen, but I assume that since everything on the disk came from their archives, there has to be an identifier here somewhere that will give us a clue. Would you work with the robot and see if you can find anything that will tell us the planet’s location? We need to make a quick visit and do some research on the Graxod."**

* * *

**As Penny, Will and Don put the finishing touches on the arboretum, all of the little lizards crooned and squeaked happily. Flitting amongst the small trees, bushes and other plants and flowers, the tiny creatures made themselves at home. They had been avidly watching their humans build their habitat for the past two days, chirping encouragingly as each new plant was brought in. Containers of nectar were placed strategically among the foliage.**

**Penny laughed as all nine of the flutter-dragons settled on the same branch, which began to sag ominously. Squeaking, several of them flew to other branches and then stared intently at the humans, their golden eyes shining. To Penny, is seemed as though a kaleidoscope had broken open on this small section of the cargo bay, spilling brightly colored crystals all over. She knew that this would be a refuge not only for their companions, but for themselves as well. This section of greenery was a veritable paradise in a sea of plain metallic gray.**

**"Bravo, Penny, very well done. I’m proud of you," her father announced from behind her. Penny started, not having heard him come down. Silverado swooped over to his shoulder and made himself comfortable, curling his long tail around John’s neck, crooning softly. "Yes, you spoiled baby, it is wonderful."**

**He looked all around the flutter-dragon habitat and smiled. "Everyone has worked so hard, but it will pay off. We should be able to launch tomorrow by midday. I was sent down to let you gardeners know that our last planet-bound dinner is ready."**

* * *

**Judy looked at her silver space suit in disgust. "Mother, what am I going to do?"**

**Maureen shook her head in sympathy. "I suppose, dear, you will have to continue to look lovely attired in altered polyester. I really don’t know."**

**"How about one of mine or your dad’s. Our suits are bigger," Don suggested. He was standing in the doorway looking on in amusement. Jimmy Doolittle was sitting on his shoulder, squeaking merrily.**

**Sighing, Judy looked at her mother, who only rolled her eyes. "Don, yours and Dad’s suits are taller, not wider, especially from the waist down," she retorted. "And if you are trying to be helpful, you’re not succeeding very well." Aurora squeaked tersely from her shoulder and then flew out of the room. Jimmy followed.**

**"Sorry, didn’t mean to start something." Don backed out of the room and up against the Robot. HE was holding what appeared to be one of the flight suits.**

**"Judy West, try this on," he said evenly.**

**Penny peered out from behind the robot. "We worked together on this, Judy. Robot was able to cut the material and help Will and I put it together."**

**With an exclamation of delight, Judy slipped it on and smiled broadly. It was a bit large around her stomach, but the way the baby was growing, that was a good thing. "Oh, thank you, Penny, Robot. It’s wonderful!"**

**"It will not pass Alpha Control standards, but does afford some protection during space flight," the Robot said evenly.**

**"Do you think this is the world’s first maternity spacesuit?" Judy asked with a straight face.**

**Don burst out laughing and then gathered his wife in his arms. "My dear, never was a maternity spacesuit so marvelous looking. Must be the model wearing it." Judy giggled with pleasure. She felt Mark kicking happily as well. Jimmy and Aurora flew back into the cabin, spinning in a tight aerial dance around the couple.**

* * *

**"Will, how is it going?" John asked his son, who had been trying to find a location for the Wereeshen library for much of the past two days. Wishing he had not been so busy, John sat down next to his son and checked the data already compiled.**

**"The Robot thinks these figures could be locator signatures, but it’s a long shot," Will explained. "I sure wish I had called up that star chart."**

**"Don’t worry about it, son. You did a fine job getting what you did." John put his hand on his son’s shoulder to reassure him. Gazing carefully at the figures, John called up the galactic schematic and keyed in the numbers Will and the robot had found on the disk. He grunted in satisfaction. "That would put it near the galactic core. Logical."**

**Turning to Will, he asked, "Son, you got there at night. What was the night sky like?"**

**"Well, they didn’t need street lights, that’s for sure. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many stars in my life," Will said fervently and then his eyes widened in understanding.**

**"Eureka," John said under his breath. He added the coordinates into the navigational computer.**

**"John, if you are as sure about this invasion as you seem to be, then why not go directly to Earth," Don protested testily as he approached the pair. "Why this wild goose chase?"**

**"In answer to your question, let me throw out a bit of military history, Don," John began to explain. "During World War II, Hitler ordered an invasion of Russia. A great deal of men and weapons were sent to do the job; the Russians should have been overwhelmed, but they weren’t. Why? Partly because Hitler and his staff had not done their research. They didn’t check out the fact that the Russian winters were brutal on men and machines not used to it or that the Russian people themselves were tough, tough enough to stand up to the might of the German Wehrmacht."**

**"Like you said, John, that was history," Don retorted hotly. "This is now. Will had his encounter with the Graxod almost eight months ago. We can’t waste time looking at books or disks in a library. Enough time has been wasted already. We need to get to Earth."**

**John mentally winced at the reference to the lost months. He looked up at Don, hoping for understanding, but knowing what was causing the pilot’s anxiety. "Don, what do we do? Waltz to Earth and tell the president, ‘Mr. President, Earth is going to be invaded by a race called the Graxod. We don’t know anything about them, but they think humans are vermin.’" John stood up, irritation flaming quickly at his son-in-law’s obtuseness. They glared at one another for a moment, before John took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.**

**"Let me continue, Don," he said in an even tone of voice. "On the flip side, the reason the Persian Gulf War was a success is due to the fact that time had been taken to learn about the psyche of the people involved and the land where the battles were going to be fought. They learned the Iraqis’ strengths and weaknesses. Schwarzkopf did his homework; they ran the invaders out of Kuwait. He accomplished everything he was allowed to do, and he did it quickly and with a minimum of bloodshed."**

**"My theories may be putting the people I love the most into great danger. I want to know what I’m throwing you all into. I hope like hell I’m wrong, but if I’m right, I want some kind of knowledge of what can be done against these Graxod. I want some ammunition." As he spoke, he continued to hope that Don would understand, knowing as well as Don the length of time the detour might add onto the trip to Earth. Hyperjumps were not instantaneous and there were many between Karturm and Earth.**

**Don glared at John for a few more minutes without comment, and then suddenly his features softened and he just looked weary. "John, I’m not thinking clearly on this. I’m sorry, you’re right. I just worry that we won’t make it back in time after getting the warning to Earth or.... I don’t know."**

**"You’re worried that the baby will be born in the middle of a battle. Don, I’m not unmindful of that. Heaven knows, I am very much aware of the possibility," John said softly. Silverado and Jimmy chirped soothingly from the top of the Robot’s plexi-glass dome. John hadn’t even been aware of their presence. The lizards looked from John to Don, their eyes bright in agitation.**

**Don sighed. "How much more time do you think the trip to the library will take?"**

**"The jump itself will take several days, maybe just shy of a week. But once there, we’ll pull up other star charts. We won’t be backtracking, we’ll take the most direct route to Earth from Wereeshen," he assured his friend.**

**"Sure, John. Sorry I snapped at you," Don said. "And I’m sorry, Will, that you were in on this, too," he said, looking at the boy, who had been staring at the two men.**

**"I’m just sorry that I didn’t do this earlier," John said sadly.**

**"You know what’s so ironic about this?" Don asked sardonically.**

**"No, what?"**

**"This is one time I wish Smith would come back, so we could use the cube to go to the library, do the research and then go and warn them back on Earth."**

**John looked at Don in shock, but realized how tough that statement had been for his proud son-in-law to make. He just nodded. "Yes, that thought had crossed my mind, too."**  
  
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**[Chapter Five](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom5.htm)**  
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**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	5. Planet of Freedom

Planet of Freedom

_**Planet of Freedom**_  
  
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**Chapter Five - Revelations at Wereeshen**

**Their take-off was flawless, and soon the ship was once again among the bright vault of stars. After submitting the coordinates and typing them in as a backup, John gave the signal to Don. The pilot hit the hyperdrive activation switch and the bright stars flowed and coalesced together in the rainbow kaleidoscope they had come to know so well before their sojourn on Karturm.**

**Judy complained about the fuss being made over her by Maureen, but it was quite obvious that the young mother was relieved by the clean bill of health that had followed the check up. "Mom and baby made it through take-off and hyperdrive transition with flying colors," Maureen announced brightly.**

**Don proceeded to kiss not only his wife, but also his mother-in-law. "Thank you, Maureen," he murmured.**

**"Thank God, Don. I just told you the facts," Maureen answered with great feeling.**

**During the first day after take-off, everyone was restless and not sure what to do with themselves, but within another day’s time, the routine had returned to shipboard norm. The new parents-to-be utilized the extra time in pilot simulation and preparing the extra cabin for the baby. John noticed that in the simulations, Judy was becoming quite accomplished and surmised that soon Don would be turning the controls over to her periodically.**

**With pleasure, he noted that Will and Penny were developing a proficiency on the computers that was uncanny. His son was able to program the navigational computer almost as fast and skillfully as he could. Maureen spent more time upgrading the sensors and the computer programs that ran them. It was almost as though everyone felt a sense of urgency to develop all the skills they needed to run the ship, and while it was only what John felt had been needed anyway; he was still a bit disturbed by the reason it was occurring.**

**On the sixth day, the hyperdrive unit chimed the impending return to normal space. The lizards disappeared down the stairwell with a flash of gossamer wings. It seemed that the transitions were felt more by the lizards than the humans.**

**When the transition to normal space was completed, an audible gasp was heard from the entire family. The stars were not only more numerous, but in some places clustered to give the appearance of huge gas giants. So bright were some that John gave an order to darken the observation window. "Wow, Dad! This is even more spectacular than I remembered," Will exclaimed.**

**John ordered up the planetary schematic for the nearest system and found, by virtue of the improved long-range sensors, an inhabited planet. Laying in a course, he leaned back and sighed. "Well, in a couple of days, we’ll be able to tell if I was right about this invasion. I pray that I’m not."**

**Within a day the Jupiter II was in orbit around the inhabited planet. Other approaching space vessels told them that this was not a backward planet, but apparently one that was important to many space-faring civilizations. John was feeling more confident that this was, indeed, Wereeshen.**

**"This is the Jupiter II of Karturm, requesting clearance to land at your spaceport." John announced, establishing contact with the planet below. Don gave him a questioning glance, but said nothing.**

**"Jupiter II; what is the racial makeup of your crew, so that we may better accommodate you?" a voice returned shortly.**

**"Human; Homo Sapiens to be precise," he answered. "I am John Robinson, commander of the Jupiter II colonization and exploration mission. May we have permission to land, please?"**

**"Of course, Commander Robinson. We are sending the coordinates to your computer. Please acknowledge when received."**

**After the figures were loaded into the computer and he and Don checked them for landing, he re-established contact with the spaceport. Soon the space ship was resting on a landing pad not too far from what appeared to be some sort of terminal. After checking the air and finding it suitable, the ramp was lowered. When he walked down, John was greeted by several diminutive creatures, their pipe-stem legs and arms, round heads and cylindrical torsos covered in a furry sort of down. Even to the bulbous eyes and hooked noses, they closely fit the description that Will had given of the librarian. He felt a surge of triumph, realizing that he had guessed right.**

**"Welcome to Wereeshen, sir. Do I have the pleasure of addressing Commander Robinson?" the first little alien asked. John noticed that translating devises were attached to belts around their hosts’ waists.**

**"Yes, I am John Robinson and we are here to do some research at your library facility," he told the welcoming committee. "My son teleported here some months ago and did initial research. I was impressed by the amount of information he gathered and wanted to make some additional inquiries."**

**"Yes, Wereeshen is the repository of the greatest collection of information in the galaxy," the alien said proudly. "Please follow me. Minor formalities must be attended to. How many are there in your group?**

**"Six, plus nine indigenous Karturmese," John answered and as if in confirmation Silverado flitted down the ramp and landed on his shoulder, chirping softly in his ear. "This is one of the Karturmese," he added. With a quick mental command, John sent the little lizard back to the space ship.**

**The alien leader peered at the flutter-dragon, bowed and gestured for them to follow. The Robot raised the ramp after they had left.**

**John noticed that this part of Wereeshen was very urban. A large city enclosed the spaceport on all sides, but the amethyst sky seemed to hold no hint of any pollution, and the air smelled fresh. The gravity was a bit lighter than Earth norm, but not enough to cause any problems in walking. The yellow-orange sun was bright in the afternoon sky, which was a good thing, as the air had a tinge of coolness to it.**

**Within two hours of their landing, John and Will found themselves at the entrance of the Wereeshen library, translators already provided and clipped at their sides. Without hesitation, Will led his father up the stairs and to the main desk. Not knowing the Wereeshen people well enough to tell them apart, he simply asked the librarian behind the desk for Shrooon.**

**"Will Robinson, you have returned!" Shrooon exclaimed. "And you have brought another human with you." Shrooon’s head craned upward in order to look John in the face. "I had no idea that humans came so large." John smiled at the little alien’s comment.**

**"Shrooon, this is my father, Doctor John Robinson," Will said by way of introduction.**

**"Ah, welcome, Dr. John Robinson. It was not known to me that Will was a young one, being the only Earth human I had met," Shrooon said. "You are to be congratulated, being father to one so interested in learning."**

**"Yes, Shrooon, I am very proud of my son, and we have both come to find more star charts and learn more about other races."**

**"Very good, we have much about both. And we edited and posted your comments about your home planet, Will. Several patrons have expressed interest and looked at that disk," Shrooon commented.**

**"Would one of those patrons have been Graxod?" John asked bluntly.**

**Shrooon looked at John for a brief moment before answering. Looking at his data pad, he finally nodded. "Yes....how do you wish to be addressed, Dr. John Robinson?"**

**"John is sufficient," he said, pondering the continued interest of the Graxod in Earth. "I am interested in the Graxod. May I look at disks which give history, physiology and sociology of these people?" Shrooon nodded and beckoned to John to follow him. "Will, I want you to find the quickest route from here to Earth while I work on getting information on the Graxod."**

**Settling John down at a computer station, Shrooon proceeded to show him how to call up the information that he desired. John pulled out the empty disk he had brought with him and slipped it into the slot. "Shrooon, thank you for your help, but may I ask one quick question before you return to your station?"**

**"Certainly, John," Shrooon answered.**

**"How long ago did the Graxod patron call up the information on Earth that Will left?"**

**Tapping a few keys on John’s computer brought up a series of figures. "Six days ago," Shrooon answered.**

**"Thank you, Shrooon. I appreciate your help," John answered. "Computer, show me data on Graxod history, last hundred years, translated." Immediately the information began parading across the screen, narrative in English accompanying the pictures. As the Wereeshen librarian started to leave, John turned with one more question. He could see that there would be massive amounts of information which he wouldn’t be able to remember in one sitting, but this information would mean nothing if the English narrative wasn’t included on any copies he made. After being assured that it would be, John turned back to the monitor and continued listening to the recent history of the Graxod.**

**And the more that John saw and heard, the more disturbed he became. Frowning, he realized that he was entirely right in his earlier assessments, these people were out for conquest. Sighing, he stretched his long legs, leaned back in the chair and settled himself in for the long haul.**

**Several hours later, Will approached, disk in hand. "Got the information, Dad. Star charts for every jump between here and Earth. Actually, our detour here isn’t going to take any more time than the original flight would have been. That should make Don feel a bit better."**

**Pausing the program, John stiffly pulled himself out of the chair, which obviously had been made for beings a bit smaller than himself. "Wonderful, Will. I’d been hoping that would be the case. Let me save what I’ve found so far, and we’ll take this to the Jupiter II. I’m going to get a quick bite and then come back. I’m saving everything I can find, but want to look over as much as we can before leaving tomorrow. Maybe you and the rest can do some sight-seeing."**

**"Then you were right, Dad?" Will asked seriously.**

**"Afraid so, son," he answered.**

**Several hours later John was again in front of a computer station looking over more information on the Graxod. It seemed that much of the data was submitted by non-Graxod, some of it from victims of their conquests. He was shocked that no one had formed a coalition to stop the invaders. Silverado squeaked softly in his ear. This time, when he had come back, the tiny lizard had refused to stay in the Jupiter II.**

**Now he was looking at a disk on the social order of the Graxod and noted that almost all facets of the Graxodians’ lives were bound by military protocol. Even the children’s’ play was geared to future battles and military action.**

**But the most interesting custom that he found was a ceremony called the Womgrantiod, in which high ranking officers were able to achieve rank and honor. It was a battle to the death and sounded very much like the old Earth custom of dueling, which was now almost extinct. It always included a saber-like sword called a plantiod-crinth, but apparently other weapons could be used along with the sword. As an avid fencer, this custom interested him and small ideas began forming in the back of his mind.**

**Silverado squeaked in alarm and wrapped his tail around his neck tight enough to cause discomfort. John gently unwound the lizard’s appendage and picking him up, rubbed him under the chin. "It’s going to be all right," he said softly before placing the flutter-dragon back up on his shoulder. John sincerely hoped he was right, because what he was learning wasn’t filling him with a great deal of optimism.**

**Next John looked into the actual physiology of these creatures and gasped in shock, finally understanding their need for invasion and conquest.In a state of physical decadence, the Graxod needed the bodies of their victims in order to survive. Some sort of radiation sickness had caused an immuno-deficiency in their own systems, and the Graxod turned to other compatible humanoid races for organ replacement, even to the most extreme extent of using the victim’s whole body, with only the Graxod brain remaining from the original organism.**

**Apparently, the Graxod were also very prolific. With so many replaced body parts, he wondered how and by careful reading understood and was amazed. Protein tanks and artificial insemination. Natural reproduction had ended hundreds of years previously. John shook his head, appalled that all scientific study was geared to military conquest and superiority, without any thought to solving their race’s health problems. At all costs, these Graxod had to be stopped.**  
  
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**[Chapter SIx](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom6.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	6. Planet of Freedom

Planet of Freedom

_**Planet of Freedom**_  
  
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**Chapter Six - More Revelations**

**‘ _Human, you have a right to be alarmed, but you do not need to broadcast your anxiety to every telepath in the library_ ,’ a voice said in his head. Silverado raised his head and squeaked in alarm. John looked around and finally saw an alien gazing at him with luminescent silver eyes. The alien stood up in graceful fluid movements and approached. The creature somehow reminded him of the sea, the skin a shiny aqua color that seemed to have the texture of a dolphin’s skin.**

**‘ _You are correct. I am an amphibious creature. I can only work out of water for short periods of time, which I suppose is why I am a bit concerned with the interruptions_ ,’ the alien explained. John got the impression that this creature was female. ‘ _Again, you are correct. I am Murreena from the planet ssHreana. I, too, am doing research on another race, but not because my world is going to be invaded_.’**

**"I’m sorry for having disturbed you, Murreena." John said, pulling over another chair for her. "Your name is very close to my wife’s name, therefore I must tell you it’s a lovely one," he added with a smile.**

**A musical melody floated into his brain. John assumed that it represented laughter. "I suppose that I should send my companion back to my ship; he seems to serve as a conduit to my thoughts and emotions. He doesn’t like being parted from me and I really don’t know how to keep my thoughts from someone as wholly telepathic as you," John explained apologetically.**

**‘ _Your companion was not here earlier today during my first visit and I was still able to feel your emotions. Human, you apparently have a small latent ability that these little creatures have been able to heighten_ ,’ she told him, the musical telepathic laughter whispering through his mind once again. The shock must have registered easily on his face as well as in his mind.**

**John was surprised, but thought back to various times when his ability to sense the emotions of others occurred at a time the flutter-dragons were nowhere around them. He just looked at Murreena for a moment, not knowing what to say. Finally, "My name is John Robinson, and my family and I are part of an exploratory and colonization project from Earth."**

_**‘Yes, the Earth that is soon to be invaded. I felt that very clearly. But may I suggest, John Robinson that you learn to shield your thoughts from others when there is no need for anyone else to ‘hear’ you? And the same process will protect you from the intense emotional outpouring of a race such as the Graxod. I have been here for over a week of your time and was around one of that race. Their emotions would have been overwhelming had I not been able to block them out**_ **.’**

**John decided to try direct communication on Murreena’s level. ‘ _Just call me John. Are you understanding me?_ ’**

**The musical melody floated through his head again. ‘ _Of course, John_.’**

**‘ _What do I need to do to accomplish this shielding_?’ he asked.**

**‘ _I am a teacher among my people as you are among yours,’_ she told him _. ‘I can show you a little bit, but I have submitted a disk, which you are free to copy, created for young ones just beginning in their telepathic abilities. That way, not only do you benefit, but also the rest of your family, especially the daughter named Penny_.’**

**‘ _Thank you, Murreena, I really appreciate your help_ ,’ John said.**

**‘ _Focus only on understanding what I am projecting to you, John,_ ’ she began. He did his best to block out everything else around him, as well as stray thoughts. ‘ _Good. Now picture in your mind a wall, shield or some kind of barrier. Picture it as real, tangible, enveloping your mind. Close your eyes if it helps you. Do that and then I will see if I can feel your thoughts anymore_.’**

**She was silent for a moment as John tried to follow her instructions. After a short while, he opened his eyes and noticed her smiling. ‘ _Very good, John. I was still able to feel a few things, but it was much more difficult. Practice that, it is so simple. Now do the same thing and I will try to send my thoughts and emotions to you_.’**

**Again, John tried to focus all of his energy into building the mental barrier, but still was able to feel Murreena’s flowing pictures of a pristine and beautiful ocean world. Shaking his head, he looked at her sadly. ‘ _Afraid I wasn’t as successful this time_.’**

**‘ _Did you see my people?_ ’ she asked. John shook his head, no. ‘ _Then you partially succeeded. Keep practicing. It becomes easier._ ’**

**‘ _Thank you very much, Murreena. And I hope someday to visit your beautiful world. What I saw was very lovely_ ,’ John told her.**

**‘ _John Robinson, from what I have been able to learn from here and from your thoughts, the future is full of danger. I wish to invoke the blessings of deity on your endeavor_.’**

**‘ _Again, thank you, Murreena, but why haven’t the star faring peoples formed a coalition against the Graxod. They seem very blatant in their conquest_ ,’ John queried.**

**‘ _The Graxod have apparently been very careful to avoid invading other star faring peoples and have only made war against those in more outlying areas of the galaxy. That makes it more difficult to bring action against them until it is too late. Perhaps apathy is also a part of it_ ,’ she told him sadly. ‘ _I will bring up your question in our planetary council when I return to my world tomorrow_.’**

**‘ _You are most kind, and may the Almighty watch over you as well_ ,’ he thought as she turned away. Then a strange idea crossed his mind. ‘ _Murreena, if you can block others’ thoughts, why didn’t you do that with me_?’**

**She turned back to him. ‘ _You interested me, John. And your quest is just. That intrigued me as well. I was also curious about your companion. They are most mysterious, these K’rrt’rm. They appeared suddenly, a few hundred years ago, and then they began dying out. No one has been able to determine where they came from or how they got there, because they did not appear to be a star faring race_.’**

**‘ _I was never totally clear where they came from nor why they died out.My daughter mentioned that the last one said something about a decay due to apathy and lack of creative endeavor_ ,’ John ventured.**

**‘ _I had not heard of that theory. For the most part, K’rrt’rm was left alone and not visited but seldom, and only by those wanting to find out more about the masters and these lovely little companions of theirs_.’ Silverado squeaked in deep pleasure at her praise.**

**‘ _You’re right.Iit is most mysterious. The nine that are traveling on our ship bonded with us and have been inseparable ever since_ ,’ he explained.**

**‘ _You are most fortunate, then, John, because I sense that they have some kind of importance. How or for what, I cannot tell, but keep them close and again, may your quest have a successful end_.’ She turned and left the building.**

**John turned and worked on the disks some more, occasionally trying to put Murreena’s lesson into practice. It was hard to concentrate on the disk and that, too, but he felt it coming a bit easier after awhile. At least he thought so; it would be hard to know unless he came across another telepath. After a number of hours, Silverado curled his tail around John’s neck and fell asleep on his shoulder.**

**A few more hours passed and John felt he had become glued to the chair. He was so stiff he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to pry himself off of it. Suddenly, he felt the presence of Maureen behind him and sat up straighter. She massaged his neck where she could, slowly lifting the lizard’s tail away. "Thanks, I really needed that, Mo," he said in deep satisfaction.**

**"John, it’s almost morning; have you been doing this all night?" she asked.**

**"Yes, I have finished pulling up everything that I need on the Graxod. I now need to copy a disk that a telepath suggested we use to help us learn to block our thoughts from bothering other telepaths," he told her. She looked at him curiously. "I was told that we are latent telepaths and we need to be able to block unwanted thoughts from others as well as keeping our own thoughts to ourselves. Murreena showed me a bit of this shielding method, but also gave me the name of a disk that she made for the library," he explained.**

**"We are?" she asked incredulously.**

**John nodded. "She told me that the lizards have heightened that ability in us."**

**Soon John had the disk copied, and he stiffly rose from the chair. "Never will I gripe about the chairs on the Jupiter II again. These are torture devices." Using one of the smaller gemstones from Karturm, he paid for the copies and they left the library. Somehow, a set value for the raw jewel had been determined and he had a great deal of the local currency rubbing together in his pocket.**

**"There’s something I want to look for on the way back to the ship, dear. You don’t mind, do you?" he asked. Maureen shook her head, and so they made their way into the commercial part of the city.**

**John had purchased translators, owing to the fact that they were so small and seemed to be universal. Several inquiries brought him to a part of the city that specialized in weaponry. Several more inquiries brought him to a block of stores that carried ceremonial armaments.**

**"What in the world are you looking for, John?" Maureen asked perplexed.**

**Silverado squeaked an alarm, and John grabbed a hand that had been stealthily slipping its way into his pocket. A little tighter squeeze on the wrist of the thief brought a sharp cry and the opening of the six thin fingers. One of the computer disks clattered to the ground. "My friend, you need to pass the word to your fellow thieves that I have a guard that will allow no one to take anything from me. Or would it be better to find a local law enforcement official?"**

**The gaunt looking pickpocket gave John a panic-stricken stare and shook his head. Maureen picked up the disk and slipped it into her pocket. John released the thief, who promptly scuttled away into the shadows like a spider whose web had been disturbed. Silverado squeaked triumphantly. "Yes, you did quite well," John told the lizard.**

**Checking his pockets, John saw that nothing else was missing. "He was quite good. I’m glad I had Silverado here tonight," John stated. "I would say that Wereeshen isn’t a totally utopian place."**

**Turning to a storekeeper, standing just outside his establishment, who was at least a foot shorter than himself and covered with rolls of loose downy, blueish skin, John said. "I need a ‘womgrantiod’ saber." The proprietor looked at him in surprise. "Graxod; you know, a ceremonial sword."They all moved inside the store.**

**"Yes, yes, sir. I know to what you are referring, sir. I just have very few inquiries for those and I have so few. You want something to hang on your wall, sir?" the clerk asked placatingly. The humanoid kept glancing back and forth between him and Maureen, the eyes never stopping long enough to look steadily into his own. It was disconcerting. Calling silently on Silverado’s help, John was able to pick up a few thoughts, most dealing with how much profit was going to be made from this sale to the strange and naive looking humanoids.**

**"No, I want something sturdy enough to use. Practice with. I need to get back in shape," he said in explanation.**

**The salesman brought out a long case and opened it. On the velvet lining, John saw three very deadly looking swords which resembled sabers of Earth, only these were slightly longer and a bit heavier. The hilts were plainer than the blades, with small guards and very utilitarian handles. The blades were etched with various symbols and designs.**

**Picking one up, John moved to a slightly open part of the store and assuming a fighting stance, made a few advances and thrusts, testing the weight and feel of the blade. He also did the same with each of the other two. "I will take these two," he said laying his choices to one side. "How much?" he asked. The clerk quoted him a price. John narrowed his eyes and glared menacingly at the man, his hand resting on one of the sword hilts.**

**The folds of loose skin under the proprietor’s chin wobbled, as he gulped nervously. His eyes finally met John’s before glancing down and seeing his prospective buyer’s hand clasped around the handle of one of the deadly weapons. "Oh, but I could have quoted the wrong price, sir. Let me look again," the anxious salesman stammered. "Oh, yes, the price I quoted was before the sale that I began running yesterday. I am so sorry. Twenty sallentres each."**

**John rubbed his chin, while Silverado continued to glare at the man. "Forty-five sallentres for both, with a scabbard thrown in for this one," he said with an air of finality. He held up the one he had been grasping. The dim light gleamed off the blade of the saber, making it appear even more sinister.**

**The salesman gulped again and nodded his acceptance of the deal. Quickly he bent under the counter and pulled out a box with several scabbards. John picked one and slid the sword in it. The blade slid in smoothly, and testing it, he felt it draw just as smoothly. Laying the agreed upon amount on the counter, John added two more sallentres to the pile and requested one of the boxes. Soon he and Maureen were leaving the store, John with a long box under his arm and Maureen with more questions than answers.**

**"I have never seen you haggle like that. You almost scared me, John," she said, looking askance at him. John had a grin on his face. He was obviously pleased with his success.**

**"Never felt the need to, but something about the man just didn’t seem right, and with Silverado’s help, I was able to determine that he had almost doubled the proper asking price," John explained. Leaning over, he kissed Maureen on the forehead. "I didn’t mean to frighten you, dear. One more thing and we’ll return to the ship, refuel and take off."**

**"You never answered my original question, John."**

**"Which was?"**

**"What are you looking for? Or rather, I should say, what is all of this for? Maureen asked.**

**"Oh. That question," John said, somewhat reluctantly. "Maureen, I found out quite a bit about the Graxod." He shook his head and sighed. "Much more than I really wanted to, but the point is I saw several possible ways to deter or defeat them and I’m going to prepare to use any or all of them if I need to."**

**Maureen wasn’t satisfied. "What is that ceremonial thing you mentioned, the womgran....something or other?**

**"Apparently it’s a contest between two high ranking officials which determines leadership. The winner is made the leader."**

**"And the loser?" Maureen felt she had to ask, but really wasn’t sure she wanted to.**

**"The loser loses rank apparently," John said cryptically, feeling a bit guilty for misleading her but knowing that he couldn’t tell her the exact truth.**

**Maureen tried to feel some emotional clues from her husband but was unable to, and she wondered if she was just being paranoid.**  
  
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**[Chapter Seven](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom7.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	7. Planet of Freedom

Planet of Freedom

_**Planet of Freedom**_  
  
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**Chapter Seven - Hope and Frustration**

**Penny held her head and tried to sit as still as she could. Almost from the time they had landed, she had been suffering from the headaches. At times it had been so bad that she felt the tears trickling down her cheeks. Thankfully it hadn't been in front of anybody.**

**Periodically, she would get images of dark streets and light, people of every kind mingling on wide avenues and down narrow alleyways. She felt emotional outpourings like hammers against her skull. Penny looked at Lucy and Edmund, who were moaning in soft tones as though in sympathy of her pain.**

**"I wish you could help me," she whispered. Susan floated in, followed by Peter. All four lizards found places on her bed in front of her where they could stare at her with their shining golden eyes. Slowly she felt the pain receding, while at the same time the images and emotions gradually left the inner recesses of her brain. Looking wondrously at her friends, she felt tears of gratitude slide down her cheeks. _Thank you, my friends, thank you. As soon as we take off, it will be better._ But Penny wondered if this would happen every time they landed on a planet with a civilization.**

**Wiping her eyes, Penny got up off her bed and washed her face at the tiny basin. _Can you keep helping me?_ All four of her friends squeaked a confirmation and perched on her shoulders. With that kind of support to buoy her up, Penny left her cabin and went up the elevator to the observation deck, where Will was working on the navigational computer.**

**"You okay, Penny?" he asked.**

**"Yes," she answered, and for the first time since they had approached this planet she was sure of her answer.**

* * *

**The next area John and Maureen headed for was apparently devoted to mechanical devices. John stopped in front of several storefronts, which offered robots of various sizes and shapes. Stepping into one, he looked at various automatons with a critical eye. Maureen decided not to ask any questions at this time. A small alien much like Shrooon approached and made a friendly inquiry.**

**"Do you happen to have a Graxod training robot? Specifically for the womgrantiod," John questioned the storekeeper.**

**"I have one which has had the Graxod programming entered into its memory banks by a retired Graxod commander. It was built for the training of general martial arts," the Wereeshen told him.**

**Looking incredulous, John asked, "Retired Graxod? Didn’t know there was any such thing."**

**Whooshing in pleasant laughter, the salesman answered, "They are rare, to be sure, but if you wish to test the robot, I will activate it." When John nodded, the little alien stepped over to a tall, spindly robot and pressed its activation button. Roughly humanoid, the thing had small glowing eyes and fingered hands. "This is a model 2 of the Martial Arts Executor series."**

**"Which form of martial arts do you wish to practice today?" it intoned in a tinny voice.**

**"I understand, robot, that you are programmed in the Graxod martial arts," John said.**

**"That is correct. You are humanoid. What type, sir?"**

**"Homo sapiens," John answered.**

**"I can step down the program to accommodate weaker species, sir," the robot intoned matter of factly.**

**John’s eyes widened in indignation at the robot’s statement. "Smart aleck," he muttered, glaring at the machine. And then, after a moment, he began to laugh. "It fits. A Graxod did part of his programming."**

**John laid the box on the counter and drew out one of the sabers. "Very well, Max. Let me see what kind of moves you can teach me."**

**"Max?" the robot asked. "Why did you call me that, sir?"**

**"A hybrid of the initials Martial Arts Executor, Max. We already have a mechanical device called Robot," John explained.**

**"Sir, there is no room here. The room needed is roughly three meters in diameter." John pointed out through the door where there was a small plaza-like area in front of the store.**

**In the designated place, John assumed his fencing stance. He realized that the saber, being heavier than any sword he was used to, would take some time to adjust to, but he just wanted to test the ability of the robot right now. The robot’s metal fingers curled around the hilt of the other sword. "Any time you wish to begin, sir," it intoned. Silverado squeaked in alarm and flew to Maureen’s shoulder.**

**A quick advance showed John that the training robot’s ability was well represented. It was very agile and with several moves that he was unfamiliar with, soon had John on the defensive. After parrying thrusts for a short while, John decided that he had found what he was looking for. Ducking out of the way of another advance from the robot, John jumped to one side and placed the point of his blade against Max’s tubular neck.**

**"Enough," John said.**

**Max turned to him and bowed. "A slight feinting move on my part and you would have been neutralized, sir."**

**"I don’t doubt it, Max," John said, breathing hard. He definitely needed to practice.**

**"But you have a skill that is superior to most humanoids that I have trained," Max said evenly.**

**"Thanks, Max, I think." John replaced the sabers in the box. "How much?" he asked the storekeeper.**

**"It has been recently reconditioned. Two hundred sallentres," the shopkeeper said. This time John felt no guile in the salesman’s thoughts.**

**"Very well."**

**John laid one of the gemstones down on the counter. A quick whooshing intake of breath told John that it was of sufficient value to consummate the deal. "Sir, where did you get this? It is of unsurpassed quality."**

**John shrugged. "Let me have a few secrets, my friend." Not only was the stone sufficient to pay for the robot, but also left John and Maureen with more than three hundred sallentres in their pockets. "Well, that should cover refueling," he murmured.**

**"It should also cover a few amenities that we have been needing as well," Maureen added. Max followed sedately as they left the store. Maureen was wondering what the future had in store for them as she made a sidelong glance at her husband carrying two wicked looking swords with a fighting robot trailing behind.**

* * *

**Don was annoyed at the delay in their departure, irritated at John for taking so long at the library and angered at the spaceport official who was causing further complications in his life by claiming to be limited in the amount of deutronium he could sell them.**

**"What do you mean, you can’t sell us more?" he fumed. "That wouldn’t be enough to fly to the moon and back if you had one."**

**"Many pardons sir, but that is not considered a safe fuel and we only keep small amounts for those who fly older model spacecraft."**

**Don couldn’t believe his ears. "Not safe? What do you mean, not safe? The reason we use deutronium is because it’s the safest nuclear fuel around. Sure as hell safer than uranium." His voice rose as his irritation did.**

**"Thanks to the powers above that you don’t use that, sir. But any nuclear fuel is considered unsafe. You must have bought your spacecraft from an unscrupulous dealer," the spaceport attendant told him, and then he gulped as he saw the pilot turn a darker shade of red.**

**"Unscrupulous dealer? You pompous windbag! This is the best that Alpha Control built. State of the line, sophisticated. We didn’t buy this ship from anybody, but she has taken us from one end of the galaxy to the other and still has plenty more light years left to her." Don was almost shouting by now.**

**"Don, he’s just trying to do his job, not trying to insult you," Judy said soothingly. She was worried about her husband’s state of agitation lately. "We’ll be fine. Why don’t you just find out where on our journey to Earth, we can stop and get more deutronium," she suggested, taking his arm and softly caressing it. She felt his muscles loosen a bit.**

**"Oh, all right. Load up what you have, and we’ll settle up when Commander Robinson returns," he told the attendant in a somewhat milder tone of voice.**

**The little alien bowed. "Sir, we can indeed tell you where larger repositories of deutronium can be purchased. That information is in our computer, and we will give you the coordinates when payment is made for spaceport fees." He didn’t waste time waiting for a response, and soon Don and Judy were standing on the tarmac alone.**

**"Where is John? He should have been back by now," Don looked toward the gate leading into the city. Sighing, the major watched the workers loading the fuel before walking up the ramp with his wife. It seemed to him that the baby had grown a great deal since they had left Karturm, growing innocent of the turmoil and danger building around him. Don was worried. No, he corrected himself, sometimes he felt downright scared for his wife and child, and he had absolutely no control over the circumstances. Putting his arm around her ample waistline, he leaned over and kissed her tenderly. "Oh, Judy. I love you, dear heart."**

**"Don, everything will be all right. I know it will. You have to believe that," she told him with conviction. Aurora, Jimmy and Maureen’s blue lizard, Maggie, streaked down the ramp and flitted in spirals around the Jupiter II. The couple turned and saw John, Maureen and what looked to be a robot trailing along behind them. It was laden with packages, so many that John even had to carry one.**

**"Well, you two ready to take off?" John said jauntily. It was obvious to Judy that Dad had enjoyed shopping with Mom this morning. She smiled at her parents, but felt Don stiffen next to her.**

**"About time you made it," Don growled. "And yes, we are ready to take off, once the spaceport fees are paid for."**

**"Put that temper of yours in cold storage, Don. The fees are paid and I know about the shortage of fuel. We are off to get more deutronium and before you explode, the stop is on the way to Earth, and the news gets even better, but that will wait until we are in space." As John breezed by, Don looked at him in silent shock, his anger effectively neutralized for the moment. Maureen followed and the robot clinked behind the pair, its spindly arms still clasped tightly around its load.**

**The merchandise was quickly put away and pre-flight preparations made for take-off. "Robot, take Max down to the cargo area for safe storage during take-off and return as soon as you’re done," John ordered. "Will, put these coordinates into the navigational computer and key for hyperdrive jump, effective as soon as we are clear of Wereeshen’s atmosphere. Folks, let’s get off this planet. We have work to do."**

**As soon as the hyper jump had been made, Don turned on John with a look that said that questions would be answered this time. "Now what’s going on? What’s this good news that you mentioned and what in the heck do we need a new robot for?" he asked. The Robot slid his plastene appendage up suddenly at mention of his new counterpart.**

**"The first two questions are almost the same," John said. "We are headed for the outermost moon of the planet Marador, which holds the largest reservoir of deutronium in this part of the galaxy. And incidentally is just six light years from Thrambilidon, which is the capital planet of a small confederation of core planets."**

**"Well, I understand visiting Marador, but what is the point of going to Thrambilidon?" Don asked. "I thought we were going to head to Earth as soon as we got the fuel we needed."**

**"We are, Don, but the opportunity to enlist some help against the Graxod is too good to pass up. We are talking about a confederation of some twenty star systems, all of which have space travel capabilities. Wereeshen is one of them," John explained. "These planets have been able to hold off invaders and enjoy relative peace for several hundred years. If we can gain their sympathy, then perhaps Earth can not only be saved, but the Graxod can be deterred from conquests of any other planet."**

**"But Earth isn’t near the core of the galaxy, John, it’s a lot further out."**

**"I know that, but I figure it’s worth a try. All they can say is no, and we are only talking about a few hours," John said. "Don, you know Earth isn’t prepared for a full scale invasion such as the Graxod are planning. What do we have to fight with? An unarmed interstellar spacecraft and a small fleet of intra-solar shuttlecraft. Not much, if you ask me."**

**"Yeah, I see your point," Don conceded. "Okay, what about the second question, the new robot?"**

**"Wait until I’ve had a good night’s sleep and then I can show you," John answered with a slight smile.**  
  
---  
  
**[Chapter Eight](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom8.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	8. Planet of Freedom

Planet of Freedom

_**Planet of Freedom**_  
  
---  
  
****

**Chapter Eight - The Trip to Marador**

**Penny was lying quietly on her bed when a light tap came at her door. "Come in," she answered and sat up when her dad came in. Taking a seat across from her, he asked her how her headache was.**

**"Who told you about that, Dad?" she asked.**

**"Your mom said that some pain reliever was missing, and I made a few educated guesses," he answered. "Did you have this headache the whole time that we were on Wereeshen?"**

**She nodded. "And I kept seeing and feeling all kinds of people and their emotions. But the flutter-dragons helped, and I felt better before we left."**

**Then, to her surprise, Dad explained what he had learned in the library and then he handed her Murreena’s disk. "I think this will help you. Just the little bit that Murreena showed me has helped, and I knew that you have a much greater talent than I do, so the need for this kind of shielding would be greater for you."**

**"Thanks, Dad. I’m going to look at it right away. I was really scared that I wouldn’t be able to be around a lot of people anymore," she said gratefully. He gave her a hug and left her alone to study the disk.**

**Several hours later when Will came and told her that dinner was ready, Penny felt more confident than she had for some time, and the feeling of peace in her own mind was wonderful for a change.Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy squeaked in satisfaction at her successful endeavor.**

* * *

**Dressed only in a tee shirt and light-weight pants, John had come down to the cargo bay early the next morning to begin his training for a womgrantiod that he sincerely hoped wouldn’t be necessary.An hour had already been used in showing what he already knew to the new robot.**

**"Max, I don’t believe I have time for a six month’s regimen. I believe I might have only a few weeks at the most," John explained to the robot.**

**"Sir, I am a martial arts instructor. I am not a worker of miracles," Max said evenly.**

**Glaring at the haughty robot, John growled, "Max, quit telling me what I can’t do, and start teaching me what I need to know." Having cleared an area in the cargo bay that the robot had designated as that needed for the ceremonial Graxod duel, John was at ready with the new saber. Max had added a protective covering along the edges of both blades, explaining to the irritated human that he didn’t want to damage John’s delicate human tissue or the new swords.**

**"You have showed me the conventions of Earth fencing, Professor Robinson. There are many similarities, mainly in the fighting moves themselves. But a Graxod will use whatever he deems necessary to win. If breaking your nose with his left hand is a way to win, then a Graxod will do it while using the blade with his right. Do you understand?"**

**"I believe so, Max. Let’s get started."**

**"The signal that is given to begin is ‘grandzin.’ "**

**John nodded. "Grandzin," he shouted and advanced swiftly on Max. The robot feinted and blocked the professor’s thrust with a blow that almost numbed his fingers. John immediately changed strategy and began using the sword two-handed. Until he was used to the weight and balance, he didn’t have the strength to maintain any kind of prolonged battle one-handed.**

**Max swung and only barely missed John’s head. Then the robot followed up with a scathing attack in which his human counterpart was able to maintain an adequate defense, but wasn’t able to mount any kind of offense. John stepped out of the battle zone and to examine the practice that had taken place so far.**

**"Sir, you need to get used to the feel of this blade. You also need to learn to use it as an extension of yourself. This is not a sport, as in your Earth fencing, where points are earned. The womgrantiod is real," Max pointed out.**

**John adjusted his hand around the hilt of the saber and swung it in the air. He remembered the short period of time when he had been interested in tae kwan do and he remembered the admonition to focus, always focus. Taking several deep breaths, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the blade in his hand, the muscles in his arm, the position of his feet. When he felt himself ready for another round, he opened his eyes, took a deep breath, held the saber straight up in front of his face and said softly, "Grandzin."**

**Max began an advance, but found his blade blocked. John pushed the robot’s sword arm up and changing his weight to his left foot, kicked the robot in the midsection, pushing him away slightly. Dancing lightly to one side, John advanced and knocked Max’s next sword thrust aside as well. Suddenly the robot made another lightning advance and the blade came alarmingly close to John’s head. Or would have, if John had still been there.**

**Her knuckles white from hanging on to the railing, Maureen stood watching from the elevator. She had come down to inform him that breakfast was ready, but instead found herself at the same time frightened and mesmerized by the display of swordsmanship her husband was putting on with the new robot.**

**Silently watching, Maureen couldn’t help but admire John as he practiced with his new sword, remembering that his fencing was something that she never tired of seeing. There was something about the sport that enhanced his masculinity, and she watched as John’s muscles played in his sword arm and across his back. It amused her when he began to shout as he advanced on Max, a ploy that used to so annoy his opponents at fencing meets during his college days.**

**Gasping inaudibly when the robot’s blade came a bit too close, she relaxed when John ducked and danced away from his opponent. This went on for some time, with John and then Max alternately having the upper hand. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, John began fighting two-handed and she could see that he was tiring. Maureen glanced next to her and saw Will, who had apparently come down the stairwell, probably wondering where she had gotten to. His eyes were wide with wonder. She didn’t doubt that hers were too, never having seen John fence this intensely.**

**Max made an overhand slashing movement and John swung out of the way just before it would have connected. Swinging his blade against Max’s with bone-jarring force, he forced the robot’s blade to hit the deck with a great clatter, but before anyone could cheer, the robot’s fist hit John in the diaphragm causing him to double over and fall to his knees. When he had enough breath to look up, his accusing eyes found Max returning the swords to their box.**

**Maureen rushed over and got down next to her husband. "John, are you hurt?"**

**"Just my ego," he wheezed. She noticed that his tee shirt was soaked and she picked up the towel he had left near the fighting circle. Wiping the sweat from his face, John stiffly rose and turned to Max. "That was a low blow," he said tersely.**

**"Never forget, Professor, that the Graxod way of fighting consists of many such ‘low blows,’ " Max intoned.**

**"Wow, Dad!" Will exclaimed. "You were super!"**

**"Thanks, son. Why don’t you head on up and tell the rest to start breakfast. We’ll be up in a minute," he said.**

**"Your son is correct, Professor," Max said when Will had gone upstairs. "Once you concentrated on making the sword an extension of yourself, you were much better. Perhaps you can master this in three weeks after all."**

**"I’ll take that as a compliment, Max," John said with a laugh. "After our stop at Marador, we’ll have another session tonight." The robot left.**

**Maureen grabbed John in a fierce hug. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. "John, I feel sorry for any Graxod that happens to get in your way," she stated, punctuating her comment with another kiss. Their arrival for breakfast was actually quite a bit more than a minute later.**

* * *

**Shortly after lunch, the computer alerted them of their arrival to the Marador system. The flutter-dragons had disappeared a few minutes before, all swooping down the stairwell to the cargo bay in a splash of color.**

**Checking the readings, John made a few calculations and then entered new jump coordinates. "We’re going to make a short jump to bring us closer to the third moon of the second planet. Get ready...now, Don." The stars shifted, coalesced and then flowed together like magma. For a short time only did they remain that way, then the chime came again and the Jupiter II jumped back to normal space halfway between the orbit of the last moon and the next planet out from Marador.**

**"I’m impressed, John," Don breathed. "Almost by instinct, it seemed."**

**"Robot, contact the base on the outermost moon. Let them know of our needs," he ordered. "Thanks, Don," he added.**

**After a few tries, the Robot turned to him, raised his dome and said emotionlessly, "Professor Robinson, I am receiving no reply. But I am picking up a great deal of interference from an as yet unknown source. Should I continue trying to make contact?"**

**"No, Robot. Just try to pinpoint the interference, and I’ll try contacting someone." After a few more tries, John realized that if anyone was listening, they weren’t planning on answering. "Don, after we achieve orbit, let’s do a scan and pinpoint the location of the fuel dump. If we still can’t get any response, then we will land and make personal contact. We need that fuel and can’t wait around forever to get it." Don nodded his agreement and turned back to his controls.**

**"Professor Robinson, it would appear that there is some form of dual interference. There is sun spot activity and also radiation emanations coming from the asteroid belt beyond the third planet," the robot intoned.**

**"John, I’ve located the fuel storage units and a landing site nearby. Want me to land?" Don asked eagerly. John answered in the affirmative.**

**With skill and speed, the major brought the ship to a near perfect landing. "Why don’t we suit up and see if we can wake up anybody here," Don suggested.**

**John agreed. "Maureen, you man the radio and let us know if anyone responds. Judy, you’re in charge of the helm, and Will, take control of environmental stations. Robot, what are the readings outside?"**

**"As long as you are not out in the open more than 4.3 hours, you and Major West will be within the safety range. I will inform you if you stay out too close to the optimal window."**

**"Yes, do that," he said. Very soon he and Don had suited up in the cargo bay and were standing near the airlock.**

**"Be careful, dear," Judy and Maureen said over their suit radios at the same time. Both men grinned inside their helmets before stepping into the airlock.**

**The surface of Marador’s moon was similar to that of Earth’s, but the gravity was slightly less. "One way to get a little spring in the step," Don quipped. The fuel repositories were only a kilometer distant, easily negotiated in the lighter gravity. "I wonder why it isn’t busier, John. You’d think with this being the largest fuel storage facility in this part of the galaxy, we would have to stand in line."**

**"Really can’t say, Don. Although I keep getting this nagging feeling that someone forgot to tell us something." John’s voice over the headset sounded worried. "I suppose we’ll have our answers when we get to those buildings. Surely there’ll be someone there to help us." Don grunted an affirmation.**

**Soon the two men were at the airlock of a building that appeared to be an administrative building. As Don began opening the outer door, John felt a peculiar feeling of danger. Looking over his shoulder, he saw nothing but the Jupiter II in the distance, standing on the landing pad.**

**So intense was the feeling that he began to wish they had brought a laser pistol. But at this point, there was nothing to do but continue on their present course of action. Stepping inside and pulling the outer door shut behind them, John thought he saw the approach of another space ship. "Wait Don, let me call the Jupiter II before we go in." Stepping toward the doorway, he called Maureen.**

**"We’re fine, John, but apparently we’re going to have company. Maybe business is picking up," she assured him.**

**"Well, just stay put and keep the ship sealed until you hear from us again," he admonished. Then he turned and closed the outer door behind him. Don began opening the inner door as soon as the gauge told them there was sufficient pressure to do so. Their suit indicators showed the air was fit for them to breathe, so as soon as he had the door open, Don unlatched his helmet and began to remove it.**

**The feeling of imminent danger hit John like a wave, coming he was sure, from one of the lizards. "Don, put your helmet back on...." Someone stepped out in front of the major, shooting some sort of mist in his face. Don immediately collapsed to the floor, and John was prevented from helping him by an alien standing nearby with a very deadly looking weapon pointed at his head.**  
  
---  
  
**[Chapter Nine](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom9.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	9. Planet of Freedom

Planet of Freedom

_**Planet of Freedom**_  
  
---  
  
**Chapter Nine - Futility Squared**

**The aliens, who closely resembled the storekeeper from whom he bought his swords, ordered John to remove his helmet. With several weapons leveled at him, he saw no sense in arguing. Reaching up as though taking it off, he contacted Maureen. Owing to being inside the building, the connection was tenuous, but he nevertheless got through to her.**

**"John, there are troops surrounding the ship!" she cried in answer to his call.**

**"Alien," his guard said tersely. "If you value your life and that of your shipmates, do not incite an incident, just do as you are told."**

**"Mo, stay put until you hear from me. It’ll be all right," he said, cutting off the communication and pulling off the helmet. While his hands were occupied, one of the aliens reached up with a cylindrical device and placed it against his neck. A slight pin prick of pain was all that he felt for a moment or two. "What was that for?" he asked indignantly. "We were told we could come here to buy fuel, not to...." John stopped, looking around in bewilderment. He suddenly felt very much removed from his own body, similar to the feeling that nitrous oxide induced, but more so. His knees began to feel rubbery and his hands uncoordinated, allowing the helmet to drop from his grasp and clatter to the floor.**

**Before his knees buckled two of his guards grabbed him and helped him to a chair, where he sank down in relaxed lethargy. Part of his mind continued to work furiously and was totally aware of his surroundings, but the rest of him was for the most part unresponsive to his desires, which added to his frustration,**

**"Alien, why did you come at this time?" he was asked pointedly.**

**Looking up languidly at his captor, John answered directly and the lucid part of his mind realized that he wouldn’t have been able to lie even if he wanted to. "We were directed here from Wereeshen since they couldn’t handle the supply of deutronium that we needed to get to Earth."**

**"Why didn’t you follow the prescribed protocol?"**

**"Protocol?" he asked, confused. Furiously he tried to remember if any other instructions had been given besides the coordinates. "We weren’t told anything about protocol."**

**The alien cursed in his own language, but John’s translator faithfully gave the English equivalent, causing him to laugh mentally, despite the frustration that he felt at his helplessness. He tried to call out telepathically to Silverado, to let Maureen know that he and Don were alive, but there was no response, so John was unaware if he was successful or not.**

**"Send a call through to Wereeshen and let them know that I am very displeased at the incompetency of the space port official who took care of the visitors from....Earth, did you say?" the alien turned to him and asked. John answered in the affirmative. "Then contact that ship out there and tell them that a mistake was made, their two shipmates are safe and we will quickly fill their order for the fuel they need."**

**"Did you encounter any other ships when you came into our solar system?" the alien asked him as he opened up a box and pulled out another cylinder.**

**"No, our hyperspace coordinates brought us just outside your system and we jumped to a position near this moon." The alien pressed the new device against his neck. Again he felt the faint pinprick.**

**"Are you the commander of that space ship," the wrinkled alien asked.**

**"Yes, I am Doctor John Robinson." Suddenly John felt a return to normalcy, apparently with no residual effects. Some of his irritation spilled over to his next words, "I don’t appreciate the treatment we have received...." The alien held his hand up.**

**"Please, Dr. Robinson. Give me a chance to explain." John leaned back in the chair, waiting, his arms folded tightly across his chest. "We will revive your friend and then necessary explanations will be given. This is not the reception that is normally given to our customers," he added, laughing deeply in his throat.**

**"I should hope not," John said petulantly. "And perhaps you might want me to calm my pilot down first before you offer any explanations. Major West is going to be upset, to put it mildly," He smiled at the alien’s discomfort. John watched Don very closely, feeling that his emotional state when he awoke would be akin to that of a cornered grizzly bear. He was right.**

**"What the hell is going on here?" Don said as the effects of the drug quickly wore off. Pulling himself to his feet with near normal agility, he faced the aliens and glared fiercely at them. As he started to move toward them, the guards raised their weapons and John put his hand on Don’s arm.**

**"Don’t, Don. They were just about to offer an explanation. It would appear that there was some kind of misunderstanding."**

**"Well, no one will misunderstand what I’m going to do if it isn’t a real good explanation," Don growled.**

**"First of all, my friend, we aren’t in a position to argue with their firepower, and second of all, we still need the deutronium," John told him quietly.**

**"To say that you came at a bad time, would be a gross understatement," the alien said. "I am Frunor xis Muntoc, the administrator here. This is the time of the great solar storms and also the time when we are most likely to be pirated. That is the price one pays for being the largest distributor of fuels for interstellar craft." He shrugged his shoulders. The effect was that of a rippling of his skin as though he were molting.**

**"That is why I asked you about protocol," Muntoc said directly to John. Don just looked puzzled. "The procedure during this tense time is for buyers to land on Marador first and then receive escort to the landing site for their fuel. When you didn’t follow the correct procedure, we followed the course of action that we normally take for pirates and thieves."**

**"The truth drugs and the gunship out on the landing pad," John said. Muntoc nodded. "Well, now that we have that cleared up, when can the fuel be loaded? We are under time restraints and need to leave fairly soon."**

**"The fuel is near your ship and ready to be put on board, but my adjutant tells me that your people are not answering, nor are they letting anyone on board," the alien said with another shrug. "It would seem that you have a good crew, Dr. Robinson. They are following your orders explicitly."**

**"The best crew around," John answered proudly. "Don, you go back to the ship and coordinate the loading of the deutronium, and I’ll make the payment. That will save time." Soon the major was heading back to the Jupiter II across the airless landscape.**

**"I suppose that it’s none of my business, but what is it that has you rushed?" Muntoc asked.**

**"I would suppose in the long run, it is your business. My planet is going to be invaded by an alien race called the Graxod, if they haven’t already," John explained. "The reason that I say it’s your business is the Graxod will continue their invasions unless they are stopped, and I believe that will only be when a coalition is formed to halt their aggressions."**

**"We have had a few dealings with them; they too, use the deutronium. And they are not very cordial," Muntoc said. "But they have not been hostile."**

**John paid with one of the last of his gemstones and then waited for the same question from the alien that he had received from everybody else. Muntoc’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at the lustrous stone. "You wouldn’t want to join in a partnership to distribute these things would you?"**

**John shook his head. "No, Administrator, I neither have the time nor the inclination."**

**"It was a good try," the Maradorian said with a smile. "This is sufficient for payment, Dr. Robinson. As soon as you are ready, I will beam a clearance for your ship to leave our solar system unmolested. And I do wish you luck against the Graxod."**

**"I believe that it will be more on the order of a miracle," John told him grimly.**

* * *

**"I sincerely hope that the reception we receive from the Thrambilidon will be more cordial than the one we got here," Maureen said as the moon receded from the observation deck window. Don’s and John’s lizards had not left their shoulders since they had returned to the Jupiter II, but as preparations for a jump to the next planet were made, the flutter-dragons again flew to the stairwell and down to their arboretum.**

**John was bemused by the fact that until they had landed on Karturm, he had been the one with hyper-jump anxiety, even wondering if he had some kind of physical aversion to the process. It was just now, as he was watching the lizards retreat to their little sanctuary, that he remembered his own past problem and realized that he had not felt the least bit bothered by the last few jumps. The only explanation he could venture to guess was the uncertainty of the previous jumps. Then they didn’t really know where they were going. Now they had a purpose. There was no time to be nervous.**

**Watching carefully as Will entered the coordinates for the jump into the navigational computer, John felt a thrill of pride at the job his son was doing. Judy was setting controls for the transition while Don watched. As soon as Will had manually put in the coordinates as a confirmation, he ordered the jump. Judy pulled the switch and the stars coalesced, melted and flowed together in the now familiar shift into hyperspace. The blurry lines of interstellar artwork now seemed to take on a beauty that none of them had noticed when they first began jumping.**

**"Excellent, Will. Well done, Judy," John told the assistant navigator and pilot. Don concurred, giving the assistant pilot a kiss as further reward. Judy blushed with pleasure and Will just shook his head at the display. John excused himself and went down to his cabin to change into something more suitable for a workout with Max.**

**And while Silverado and the other lizards looked on and squeaked in dismay, John spent a couple of hours getting instruction from and practicing with the robot. Later, Maureen looked for him, finding him in the cabin cleaning up for dinner.**

**"Well, did you have a good practice?" she asked, making small talk, and heartily wishing she had been free to go down and watch.**

**"Not too bad," John said cryptically. "But I was distracted. I certainly hope that our stopover on Thrambilidon tomorrow is more productive than this day has been."**

**"Maybe productive isn’t the right word, dear. Perhaps pleasant is a better one," she said with a smile. Leaning over, Maureen kissed him tenderly. "It will be better, John."**

**After dinner, John retired to the computer terminal where he worked steadily until well after everyone had retired for the night. Sometime during the early hours of the morning, Maureen turned over and finding herself alone, immediately woke up. Sighing, she slipped on her robe and went to the galley. Setting the replicator, she quickly made a small pot of coffee and then took it up to the observation deck.**

**At the computer terminal she found John staring at the monitor, his fingers laced behind his head, his long frame slumped in what appeared to be languid ease. Maureen, however, knew by long experience that he was anything but. She could feel tiny fingers of anxiety and frustration creeping into her mind from his and knew that he had been carefully hiding his true feelings.**

**"Grab a chair, dear," John smiled thinly at her in the reflection of the computer screen. He turned to look at her when she sat down next to him and handed him a cup. "Mmm, thanks. I’ve been trying to put together something that will convince the powers that be on Thrambilidon that the threat from the Graxod is real." He sipped his coffee.**

**Looking at the pile of disks and printouts sitting on the counter, she sighed and reaching over, took his hand in hers. "Do you think they’ll help us?"**

**For several minutes, John said nothing and Maureen sat quietly, holding his hand and wishing that she could pass along some reassurance that everything would be all right. Turning to him, she saw his eyes fastened on her in loving devotion. "Come here," he said simply. Smiling, she slid into his lap and laid her head on his chest, feeling the steady, strong beat of his heart and the warmth of his body.**

**"Thank you, Mo," he finally said.**

**"What for?" she asked.**

**"For your faith in me," he said softly. He stroked her hair and caressed her shoulders, finally putting his arms around her in a tight hug. "I love you, Maureen. I haven’t said that much recently."**

**"John, I feel this will all work out. I believe that with all my heart."**

**"I know you do," he murmured in her ear. "Your trust in me helps tremendously."**

**Maureen felt secure in his arms. At this moment he was her whole world. The ship didn’t exist, the Graxod didn’t exist, only John. And she sat quietly reveling in that sensation.**

**Suddenly, John laughed and got up, still holding her as she slid out of his lap. Then bending down slightly, he gathered her up in his arms and headed for the elevator. "You are mine for the rest of the night, my dear. Everything else can take a flying leap for a few hours."**

**Maureen laughed softly along with him and putting her arms around his neck, allowed herself to be carried into the elevator and then to their cabin. With his foot, he reached back and pushed the door shut.**  
  
---  
  
**[Chapter Ten](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom10.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/freedom1.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/lis/lisfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	10. Thrambilidon

Chapter Ten - Thrambilidon

Mril mur Prowlith Aorcorlin glanced at the information readout on the next visitor. "Gyowl," she murmured deep in her throat. Why in the name of the Holy Sanctuary of Abiset does Mringranlor send me all the rim planet cases? she thought as she rubbed behind her large tufted ears. A steady stream of developing planets requesting technology of various kinds or admission into the Confederation is all that it seemed to be. Prowlith felt another headache coming on. Her emerald green eyes scanned the monitor a bit more closely, and then she stopped the scroll bar and reread some of the information in shock.  
"An invasion!" she breathed in disbelief. This one certainly merited looking into. Her head fur stood on end at the thought of one sentient race invading another. Flipping a switch on the monitor, she perused the visitor; visitors, she corrected herself. One was quite tall, more than a head taller than herself. The other one short, probably the tall one’s cub. Chuckling, she noted that if the small one was the cub, then he got most of his traits from his dam. But the eyes of both held the same determined look.  
Although by the standards of her race they looked soft, having neither claws nor extensive fur, she got the feeling that there was nothing soft about either the sire or the cub. Interesting. The sire was pacing in the reception room; his walk was almost cat-like. His cub kept staring at her door. Then Prowlith noticed two other beings, tiny reptilian creatures that hung on the shoulders of the two humanoids. Pets? Definitely interesting.  
The two tiny creatures looked up at the video monitor and stared directly at her with shiny golden eyes. Within a minute, the two visitors looked up as well. Prowlith was a bit disconcerted with the humanoids’ awareness of her scrutiny. Switching off the monitor and bringing the information screen back up, she pondered a moment. This situation was giving her a good case of curiosity. Quickly gulping down a headache remedy, she called to her receptionist, "Mrtanen, show our visitors in."  
Standing up and baring her teeth in customary greeting, Prowlith introduced herself to the two visitors. Then she sat down and leaned back in her chair, letting her mind focus on the two humanoids and their needs.  
"I am Doctor John Robinson, commander of the Jupiter II space exploration and colonization mission from Earth. This is my son, Will," the tall one said politely.  
"And the creatures around your neck?" she purred a query to Dr. Robinson. The tiny lizard entities intrigued her.  
"They’re from the planet Karturm, where we have been living for the past eight months. They bonded with us and would not be separated when we left. And they are sentient," he answered.  
"Please sit down, Doctor John Robinson. Which part of your name is customary for slight acquaintances to use?"  
"Dr. Robinson," came the simple reply.  
"Dr. Robinson, I can presume that your people are a space going race, but I had not been aware of that previous to your arrival."  
"Beginning stages," he answered. "My family is the first to leave our solar system. We’ve been exploring for the past three and a half years."  
"Tell me about this invasion, please," Prowlith said. She was astonished when Dr. Robinson pulled out a small case with several computer disks. He handed them to her, and while she held one delicately between her claws, he proceeded to explain what he had learned, letting his cub add input when pertinent.  
"Dr. Robinson, in the past, documentation of Graxod invasions has filtered into the core planet systems, but there were two reasons that no action was taken," Prowlith paused for dramatic effect. "One, being that there was no real confederation to take action against them. And second, the Graxod, by our reports, never took any but primitive races."  
"May I ask what you consider to be primitive races?" Dr. Robinson’s voice was tight with controlled indignation. "Not that that should make any difference."  
"Please, Dr. Robinson. I can understand why you are impatient and frustrated. But I must point out our position," she said as soothingly as she could. The little silver lizard around his neck crooned softly. Finally, the angry glint in his eyes softened a bit and he nodded.  
"We are a confederation which has grown based on the premise that we will not interfere in the affairs of other space going systems, except under the most extreme circumstances. One of the reasons for the Confederation is mutual defense. But up until recently, we wouldn’t have had the firepower to back up any kind of interference or even to defend ourselves against a very powerful adversary."  
Prowlith steepled her fingers, her black claws clicking delicately together. "To answer your previous question; we consider races to be primitive that have not achieved space travel. But it would seem that if the Graxod have been avoiding censure by overrunning primitive races, they have miscalculated this time." Prowlith’s slight smile showed the tips of her white canines. "Your being here proves that."  
Looking down at the disks that Dr. Robinson had given her, she queried, "Dr. Robinson, are you a professional researcher or a teacher? Your information appears to be extensive."  
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The look of anxiety and frustration faded somewhat. "I’m also called Professor by some. Yes, I taught young adults for some years on Earth, before getting into research and development. Ms. Aocorlin, I spent as much time as I could finding all the evidence possible to back up my claims and to enlist help. Based on what I have learned, there is no way that a few experimental spacecraft can stop a fleet of Graxodian warships. That’s why I came here to appeal for help." Dr. Robinson stood up and leaned on the edge of her desk, his hazel eyes boring into her green ones. "But if I can’t get any help here, my family and I will leave for Earth and do what we can alone. And I don’t believe that time is on my side."  
"Ah, time." Prowlith murmured. "This is a confederation. Things happen in set patterns. Members don’t jump in dozens of directions at the first hue and cry. This will have to be presented to the Head Committee. I believe that I can speed this through, due to the severity of the charge, but it will be several days before any decisions can be made." She watched the emotions play across the human’s face.  
John Robinson sighed and sat back down. The lizards squeaked at her imperiously. She could even feel their displeasure, and Prowlith realized that these creatures were telepathic. It was no wonder they were aware of her scrutiny.  
"And by the way, Professor Robinson, among my people, the part of my name used by acquaintances is Prowlith," she added.  
"I will leave this information with you, Ms. Prowlith. We must take off this afternoon with or without any decisions. Too much time has elapsed already, I’m afraid." He started to get up.  
"Doctor Robinson, please do not think that I am unsympathetic. Three days is an incredibly short time for a decision to be rendered in the councils of the Confederation. Do you not have bureaucracies on Earth?"  
Laughing bitterly, he said, "Yes, we do. Our bureaucrats would debate the existence of the Graxod for several months before debating on the best way to deal with them." Prowlith nodded and gave him a toothy smile of understanding. He bowed to her. "I want to thank you for your sincere interest. The coordinates for Graxod and Earth are on one of the disks."  
Again, she smiled her toothy smile. "I promise to do all that I can and as quickly as I can, Dr. Robinson. You are positive that you cannot wait?"  
"Absolutely positive, but I appreciate your asking." The sire and his cub both turned to leave the room. Their Karturmese companions flew freely around the room and fluttered in tight circles around her head, crooning softly. She felt great empathy for these humans and muttered an invocation for the Creator to help them in their quest. As soon as the humans and their Karturmese partners had left the room, she thought of her own half-grown cubs. Prowlith immediately got on the direct communications line with the Confederation Secretary and began explaining the situation.

________________________________________

"Dad," Will looked up at his father, worry etched on his young face. "Do you think Prowlith and her Confederation will help us? She really acted like she wanted to help."  
"I think so, Will. I agree with you that Prowlith seemed sincere. But we can’t wait and find out." John looked up at the deep blue sky that so resembled Earth’s. "We need to leave this afternoon." They continued on toward the spaceport.  
Shortly after take-off and the transition into hyper jump, John faced Max, the plantiod-crinth held loosely, but securely in his hand. He could feel the muscles in his arm flex in readiness, stronger than even a week ago when he had begun training. He also knew that Maureen was watching, but that didn’t make him feel self-conscious at all. Her presence was a comfort to him.  
"Grandzin," he said evenly, focusing all of his concentration on the workout. It was a bit more difficult, though, as Silverado had insisted on hanging onto his shoulder.  
Ignoring the lizard, John flexed his knees and watched the robot closely, knowing that Max would try to surprise him with any number of possible moves. Max didn’t disappoint him. In a lightning move, the robot tossed his sword to his left hand and lunged, causing John to dance sideways. Immediately, the professor countered with a lunge of his own. Taking advantage of the opening, John hooked his foot behind his opponent’s leg and jerked the robot’s spindly leg out from underneath him.  
The robot almost went down, but having incredible balance, quickly regained his footing. "That was a very good move, sir," Max said and advanced on him, swinging the saber in an arc so powerful that it whistled through the air.  
"I don’t think that shielding the blade would have made any difference if that had connected," John said as he ducked. Leaping to the side, he made a quick advance of his own. Then came a furious bout of clashing blades and lightning fast movements. There was no advantage for several minutes.  
Don approached after the workout had begun, wondering about all the noise. He could hear Maureen’s quick intake of breath every time Max’s blade got close to John. Personally, if he didn’t know better, Don would have taken this for a real duel; it was much more intense than anything he had seen on Earth. It almost reminded him of something from sword and sorcery movies he had watched when he was young.  
Watching intently, Maureen noticed with a critical eye that John’s arm had strengthened; he was wielding the heavy sword one-handed. The bout continued and she began to worry, seeing how flushed her husband was becoming. With a clash of swords, the two fighters crashed together and John surprised Max with a move just the opposite of one the fighting robot expected. Instead of pulling away, the professor continued his momentum, again hooking his leg behind the other’s. Silverado finally squeaked in anxiety and flew into the air as his human fell on top of the automaton. Rolling aside, John swiftly brought the sword down in a coup de grace move that would have taken Max’s head off, had the robot been a living organism. "Tiodzin," John said with finality, panting from the exertion.  
"Tiodzin," Max agreed. "That was very well done, sir."  
Maureen immediately brought him a towel. He nodded his thanks.  
"John, I’m not sure what that this is all about, but I have to say, that was one nice piece of sword play," Don told him. Max had again taken the swords and was putting them away.  
"This is plan C, Don. Plan A didn’t work out. Hopefully plan B will and I won’t have anything to show for all this but a little better muscle tone." John drank some water that Maureen had brought him, pouring the rest over his head and down his neck. "And thanks, I really appreciate this."  
"And what, might I ask, is plan B?" Don asked.  
"Well, Don, let me ask you, if an invading fleet entered the solar system, the assumption is that they would approach from just beyond the orbit of the farthest planet, right?"  
"Well, that’s where all of our jumps have taken us. So I would suppose you’re right," Don answered.  
"So where would the best place be to plant devices to cripple attacking ships?" John asked.  
"The asteroid belt, since it’s spread over a vast expanse and would be harder to avoid," Don suggested.  
"Yes, I felt that way, too," John answered. "And I think that with an expert in the field of large scale explosive devices to help us, the invasion will end before reaching Earth."  
"And you would be known as the man who changed the configuration of the solar system," Don said with a chuckle.


	11. Idorin

During the jump to Idorin, John showed Don the types of explosive devices that he had in mind, using information on a disk copied at Wereeshen.  
"Look at this one, John," Don said, stopping the disk. "That one would cause a large enough damage radius to knock out several big ships at once."  
"The only bad thing about that, though, is that it would also cause the death of innumerable beings," John countered. "Even though the Graxod are coming for conquest, I have a problem with wholesale slaughter, unless there is no other alternative."  
"John, these aliens want to enslave humanity! Why are you being so sensitive to the needs of the Graxod?" Don said testily.  
"I just want to examine all of our options. If there is a way to disable their ships without excessive casualties, then that’s the way we go," John responded. "We want to avoid becoming like the individuals we are trying to stop, Don." He paused for a moment, then sighed. "But don’t get me wrong; if total annihilation of their fleet is the only way to stop the invasion of Earth, then that’s what we do." Don looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded in agreement.  
The two men continued examining the disk through much of the night, finally agreeing on several devices that would be fairly easy to find materials for and quick to put together.

________________________________________

Idorin was a small planet, but most of its surface was urban. Broken only by small oceans and areas of parkland, the cities sprawled endlessly out from the spaceport. Silverado and Jimmy squeaked pensively. John chuckled, feeling the lizards’ disappointment that there would be no forests to race through after the past ten days’ confinement to the Jupiter II.  
‘Sorry, little one,’ John mentally reassured his companion. ‘But we’ll soon be back on Earth....’ He ended the sentence with visuals of meadows and forests on his home planet that the lizards would revel in. Silverado crooned with deep pleasure and nestled more quietly on his left shoulder.  
"John, be careful," Maureen said, a worried tone in her voice.  
The professor turned to his wife and kissed her. "Maureen, we are just going on a shopping trip. Nothing to worry about."  
"I have just been feeling something ominous and..." She paused, not knowing quite what to say. "There is something about this planet that isn’t quite right. I can’t put my finger on it."  
"Mo," John said softly. "We’ll be careful. If we didn’t need some special items, we wouldn’t even have stopped, but a few of the triggering mechanisms and explosive catalysts can’t be found on Earth. I had no choice. But I promise, we’ll be back by this afternoon, and then we’ll be out of here."  
"Take a communicator, John," she said, having been only slightly reassured by his words.  
"I’ve got the best," he answered and pointed to Silverado. The object of their attention squeaked knowingly. Jimmy joined him.  
"Well, let’s go, John," Don reminded him.  
Walking the short distance to the fast transit system their map had shown them, John couldn’t help but feel a bit of the apprehension Maureen had felt. This seemed to be a planet in decay. Urban decay in the greatest sense of the word.  
"You know, Maureen has a point, John. This place somehow gives me the creeps. I’ll be glad to get the stuff we need and blow this planet, pun not intended," Don put words to John’s own thoughts.  
A quick trip on the subway system brought them to a store dealing in demolition supplies. The sleepy-eyed storekeeper languidly perused his two customers for several minutes before saying anything. "What is it you’re looking for?" he finally asked.  
"We need a thermite space detonator master switch and thorellium catalyst capsules," John stated simply.  
"Gotta ask this question. What do you need them for?" the salesman asked. His eyes still looked as though he had barely awakened from a nap, but John knew that he was far from sleepy. The downy-skinned alien stood up, and his full height was just slightly less than Don’s. The small mouth looked pouty and there was no evidence of ears, only slight indentations where they would be on a human.  
"Self-preservation," John answered tersely. "Is this a government regulation? If so, please show me the form. If not, then it’s none of your business." This planet had been recommended as one where such things could be bought and sold with a minimum of red tape and time. John was wondering about that recommendation, now.  
"Self-preservation is a good enough reason, sir. I will put that on the form."  
"What form?" Don asked.  
"Oh, the one that has to be filled out for each purchase of explosives components," the alien told them glibly.  
John looked at Don and made a slight motion with his head. Then he looked back to the salesman. "We were sent here because we were assured that these items could be bought on this planet quickly, cheaply and with very little hassle. Now I know what was meant by little hassle." John leaned menacingly over the counter, realizing from the alien’s thoughts that he was dealing with a black marketeer.  
This salesman obtained the so-called information and passed it along to those who paid for knowledge of clandestine mining operations or government overthrows. And the professor knew that there would be some groups of interstellar privateers who would just love to pick up the pieces after a planetary invasion. At his command, Silverado was silent, but he mentally thanked the little lizard for helping him to get this information from the mind of the devious salesman.  
Suddenly, John’s hand reached out and snatched the front of the clerk’s vest, jerking the humanoid toward him. The recently developed muscles held the alien in an iron grip that he couldn’t struggle out of. "Look, do you have what we need or don’t you? There will be no forms, no questions, and no government interference. You understand that, right?" The sleepy eyes had widened considerably and the startled salesman nodded an affirmative.  
"Don, you and Jimmy keep an eye on the door, while we negotiate," John said.  
"Sure thing, John." Don nodded and with a slightly amused smile, turned to stand at the doorway.  
After that, the downy-skinned alien quickly got the materials ordered and John paid for them with funds left from the sale of the last gemstone. Wereeshen currency was good here, but John figured that any legal, as well as illegal currency was accepted in most of these shops. With a smile, he picked up his package and he and Don left the store.  
"So far, so good," Don breathed a sigh of relief as they headed back to the subway. "That was pretty slick. I thought that guy was a weasel, but how much were you able to get on him?"  
"Lots of black market activity. Some kind of Mafia type operation where the salesmen get information and then sell it to gangs of privateers who benefit from it," John said tersely.  
"Sweet planet," was Don’s only comment as they got on the transit heading back to the spaceport. They were beginning to relax when Silverado squeaked in consternation and John saw two aliens pushing through the crowds towards them.  
"Watch out, Don, we have company and I don’t think they’re from the mayor’s office," John said under his breath. Silently warning Silverado into battle mode, he reached toward his belt where a small hidden knife lay flat against his stomach.  
"Humanoids, you will come with us," one of the two aliens hissed menacingly at him, reaching for a weapon in a not-so-well-concealed holster.  
"Don’t think so, sheriff," Don remarked and gave the alien in front of him a roundhouse punch to the diaphragm. His opponent doubled over. Don finished with a doubled fisted blow to the back of the neck.  
John grabbed his attacker’s hand before the weapon could be drawn and jerked him close, his knife suddenly pressed against the alien’s neck. "All right, who sent you?"  
The alien gulped. "The Blevorin Cartel," he answered softly.  
"The Cartel must be in big financial trouble to send the likes of you two martial arts wizards," Don cracked.  
"Not now, Don," John said. "How many more were sent?"  
"There are several near the spaceport."  
"Oh, hell," John breathed. He couldn’t take a chance of this one communicating with the others. A blow to the back of his head rendered his attacker unconscious, and the two aliens lay together in a silent heap. The other passengers looked mildly curious, but then turned away when it was over. Don reached down and gathered the two aliens’ weapons.  
John stood quietly for a moment, focusing on sending a message to Maureen or Penny through Silverado. Realizing what his friend was doing, Don quickly put Jimmy on John’s other shoulder, ordering him as best he could to help Silverado. He didn’t know if it would help, but a message had to be sent.  
A few minutes later John opened his eyes. "As far as I can tell, they understood me. And thanks, that was a stroke of genius having Jimmy help Silverado. Made it easier." Looking down at the unconscious men, John shook his head and sighed. "I told them to have the ship ready for immediate take-off and not to let down the ramp for anyone but us. I’m very glad that we paid the spaceport fees before our little excursion. Let’s get nearer to the door."  
Jimmy floated back to Don’s shoulder, squeaking in triumph. Silverado rubbed his head under John’s ear, acting very pleased with himself. Smiling, John nevertheless passed a silent warning to the lizards to watch for any other problems. "Oh, and Don, Max is going to meet us at the entrance of the spaceport."  
"I hope he brings those swords, that would be a real show," the pilot said with a chuckle.  
"No, I just instructed Maureen to send him; didn’t say anything about hardware. I figure that he’ll be a bit more protection at our backs," John said with a slight chuckle.  
As it was, the robot did bring the two plantiod-crinth. With a sigh, John strapped his on. "A good show is sometimes more effective than a good fight, sir," Max explained. Don made a good show with the two laser pistols sticking in his waistband. And when two shadowy figures detached themselves from the darkness of a building, they immediately found themselves backed up against the plasti-steel wall, the points of the plantiod-crinth threatening their throats.  
"You didn’t really want to keep us from our appointments, did you, gentlemen?" John asked with a slight smile. The aliens’ eyes were very wide and full of fear.  
"No," one squeaked. Jimmy flew from Don’s shoulder and hovered above a point near another building. Stealthily making his way over to the spot, Don flushed out the third member of the ambush party. With the handles of their weapons, the aliens were rendered unconscious and dragged out of sight between two buildings.  
"Let’s go, Don. I have a funny feeling that we’ll be followed even into space," John sheathed the sword and gathered up the package. As they came into view of the Jupiter II, they were able to see Maureen and Judy in the observation window. The ramp was let down, and soon the men and robot were safely on board.  
Glancing at the control panel, Don murmured his appreciation. John opened up communications with the spaceport authorities. "This is the Jupiter II. We are ready for lift off, mark 224.1, in thirty seconds. Do you read me?"  
"Jupiter II, we cannot authorize take-off in that space of time. Your window of lift-off is two minutes and counting, on heading 212.6. That is the quickest allotment that we have for you."  
"We read you," John answered and turned to Don. The pilot was already loading up the new figures and within a minute the Jupiter II was hovering lightly above its berth. "One minute, John. How close do you want me to skim that time frame?" he asked with a laugh.  
"Within a nano-second, Don." Within five minutes the spacecraft was outside the orbit of Idorin. "Jump on the following heading in thirty seconds, Don." John furiously entered figures into the computer. "Do it!" As a large, streamlined space ship approached them, the stars coalesced and blurred into hyper-jump formation.  
Five minutes later, they re-entered normal space outside the Idorin system and immediately made another jump, which John had entered as they made their transition. Leaning back with a sigh, he commented, "Well, that should have lost them."  
Worried, Maureen asked, "Can they follow us? And what did they want?" John rehashed what he had learned. Her eyes widened in apprehension.  
"I don’t think that they are able to follow, especially as quickly as we made our transitions," he explained.  
"But what about the other places we’ve been, like Marador?" Judy asked.  
"I’m counting on Marador and Thrambilidon investigating. They don’t have the same interests in this upcoming battle as those gangsters back there did. I believe our previous contacts are genuinely interested in helping us," John told them, and he sat back with a satisfied smile.


	12. Earth

Approaching through the asteroid belt, Don saw the possibilities for the explosives, but still had a question in his mind. “John, this is pretty large territory to cover. We aren’t just talking about a ring around an imaginary core. We are talking about millions of square miles.”  
“I know, Don, but I have the coordinates of Graxod. I know the hyperspace coordinates that they will most likely be using and we can concentrate there, putting lesser amounts of explosives at other strategic points. We just have to trust that our calculations are correct,” John said, relieved that the invasion had not occurred yet. He had spent a great deal of the past two weeks worrying about what he would see when they returned. "Orbital Station Delta, this is the Jupiter II requesting permission for emergency docking."  
There was a short silence. "Jupiter II?? Did I hear you right?" That the communications officer was astonished was an understatement.  
"You heard correctly. This is Doctor John Robinson and we need to dock immediately and speak with the commander of the space station. It is a matter of vital concern."  
"Give verification signals, Doctor." John did so. "Docking Bay 5 is available and docking can commence as soon as you reach Delta. Welcome home, Jupiter II." John acknowledged the instructions and the welcome.

________________________________________

Dr. Scott Barlow was comparing blood samples of Station Delta occupants. Mark Johansen popped his head into the infirmary and smiled brightly. "Want to hear something to excite your dull, drab existence on this floating space palace, Doc?"  
"Sure, why not, Mark?" he answered. Actually, he found his work in the space program exciting, even the mundane jobs. The fulfillment of his dream had finally come to fruition four months ago.  
"The Jupiter II just docked at Bay 5," Mark said glibly, fully realizing how that kind of news would affect the young doctor.  
Looking up in astonishment, Scott could only gape. Finally words came out. "What? Did you say the Jupiter II? The Robinsons?"  
Mark nodded. "I heard that you had gotten chummy with Professor Robinson during his last visit, but it appears that he brought the whole crew this time. Got some cute little pets with them, too."  
Scott didn’t even hear the last statement. The microscope was forgotten and he was out the door and heading for Docking Bay Five, breezing by the laughing astronaut. As he approached the docking bay, he heard familiar voices in the debriefing room.  
"I need to contact the current head of Alpha Control on the secure closed circuit. It’s imperative that I talk to him," John was saying, with an urgency in his voice Scott had not heard before. "Of course, if you gentlemen don’t want to accommodate me, then I can just take the Jupiter II and land on the east lawn of the White House." John was glaring at Major James Morley, the head of scientific studies on the space station and current commander.  
"John!" Scott cried, interrupting what appeared to be an impending argument. The professor looked tired, but otherwise no different than he had eight months earlier.  
"Well, Scott, you finally made it into space. Wonderful, now if you can talk your friend into cooperating with me, I will make a few well-placed calls."  
Scott looked around the room and saw the rest of the family, but when his eyes lit on Judy Robinson, he almost gasped in astonishment. She was even more lovely than the night he had seen her at a college dance, during his days at the University of Houston. Then he noticed what should have been very obvious at his first glance; she was very pregnant. Scott deduced that she must be about eight months along.  
But at that moment the doctor didn’t care. The beautiful girl he had tried so hard to date and get close to five years ago was now a beautiful woman. In his eyes, she was gorgeous. A sudden pang of jealousy washed over him. Don West had accomplished what he had been unable to even dream of doing.  
Scott realized that the same desires he had felt before had never totally gone away. He still loved Judy Robinson. No, he corrected himself; Judy West. And with that thought, guilt came crashing in. Guilt for desiring what wasn’t his to have, guilt for desiring someone else’s wife.  
He caught her eyes on him and smiling slightly, looked back at John, hoping his indiscretion hadn’t been noticed. "Oh, Bradley Houser is the new Alpha Control chief now, John. And I’m sure we can patch you through to him."  
"Major Morley just told me, but thanks," John said, looking curiously at Scott.  
"Sorry, John, I just couldn’t get over the fact that all of you are back home. You had mentioned something about star charts. Why did you decide to come back now?" Scott asked politely, although he guessed it was for the birth of Judy’s baby. John’s next comment startled him out of his self-induced misery.  
"I really don’t feel I can tell you right now, I’m sorry. That’s why I need the closed circuit communication. It is not something I feel I can talk about publicly," he said bluntly.  
Major Morley and Scott just looked at each other and then turned back to John.  
It was only then that Scott noticed the silver colored flying reptile clinging to his friend’s shoulder. Although it didn’t have a real mouth, the creature squeaked softly, almost mournfully in the silence that followed John’s comment. Scott looked around and saw that each member of the Robinson family had one, each a different color. The only exception was Penny, who had four, and they were harmonizing a soft crooning melody. The girl had a warm smile for him, which he returned.  
Major Morley stood rubbing his chin for a moment. Scott knew that if the ultra-secure communication circuit was used for a trivial reason, the major’s head would be served up on a platter. "Major, I can tell you that if Professor Robinson says that his message needs to be sent under tight security, then you’d better send it," Scott said, trusting John implicitly.  
"Professor Robinson, shall we go to communications?" Major Morley finally asked, his voice quiet.  
Although a bit worried about John’s last words, Scott nevertheless turned to Judy and tried to sound very nonchalant and professional. "Mrs. West, you look fatigued. I really think that I need to check you and the baby."  
"Why thank you, Doctor....," she paused and it was very obvious that she didn’t remember him.  
Why would she, he thought bitterly, I never got a chance to get close to her. "Scott Barlow," he said.  
He had scoffed at those who talked about love at first sight until he had seen Judy. The day he had laid eyes on the eighteen-year-old hanging on the arm of another ‘space brat,’ he had been smitten. Unfortunately, her family was in its last year of training for their voyage to Alpha Centauri. There was never time for a date when he had tried that route, and by the time he had managed to ‘accidentally’ run into her in a few public places, she had decided to accompany her family into space. The reason, he found out later, was Major Don West.  
"Thank you, Dr. Barlow. I’m fine, but if you feel it best, then I don’t mind," she said with a smile. "Don, I’ll be right back as soon as I get my clean bill of health." She kissed him quickly and walked down the corridor with Scott.  
Neither saw the deepening scowl on Don West’s face. Jimmy crooned on his shoulder, but the pilot seemed oblivious. Finally he turned back and boarded the Jupiter II.

________________________________________

"You do look a little bit familiar, Dr. Barlow. By any chance have we met before?" Judy asked, a slight frown of concentration on her face.  
"As a matter of fact, yes, we did. About a year before the launch," Scott said. "I tried very hard to get a date with you, but you were extremely busy."  
She laughed. "Very busy." Then she looked at him with recognition dawning. "Oh, Scott Barlow, first year medical student. I think we talked in the food court at Brighton Mall. And somewhere else, too. I think," Judy said brightly. "And you made it through medical school, I see. Is there a Mrs. Barlow?"  
"It was a Burger King, and yes, I did make it. I was working at Washington DC Trauma Center when your father suddenly appeared. And no, I’m not married."  
Scott did his best to keep his professional equilibrium as he examined Judy, and for the most part succeeded, but it was hard in a way that he had never experienced before. Every time he touched her, he felt a thrill course through his body. He had to keep reminding himself that she was a patient, only a patient. That was when he was glad for the invention of more technologically advanced diagnostic tools. It would have been much more difficult had Judy had to disrobe for this examination.  
As he finished his exam and checked the results on the diagnostic, Scott was amazed when the little flying lizard on her shoulder, a violet hued one, calmly crawled down the front of her shirt and sat on her swollen stomach. It turned its head, first one way and then the other. Then it stared with startlingly bright golden eyes straight down at her abdomen as though it could see through the clothes and flesh all the way to the baby. Looking up at Judy, the creature squeaked happily and stared at its mistress.  
"Yes, you darling, Mark is growing very big and very strong." The lizard launched herself into the air and flew in tight circles around the humans, squeaking happily.  
"You understood what it was saying?" Scott asked in abject curiosity.  
"Telepathy, Doctor. Aurora and her companions are extremely telepathic and can show us pictures and feelings in our minds. It’s really quite incredible," Judy said and laughed at the look of astonishment on Scott’s face. Scott sincerely hoped that the little creatures were not letting the Robinson’s know what he had been thinking.  
"Do they tell you what others are thinking?" Scott asked in trepidation. He was almost afraid of the answer.  
"Sometimes if the emotions are strong enough we can pick them up through our flutter-dragons, but we have learned to ‘shield’ our thoughts from others and vise versa," she said, to his obvious relief. He would have to watch himself, until he could deal with the emotional turmoil churning around in his mind. "Penny had a great deal of trouble until she learned to do that. She was having awful headaches, caused by the thoughts and emotions of other people. Penny had some para-normal talent even before we found these little darlings." Judy scratched lightly under her dragon’s chin. It made a slight crooning sound and relaxed on her shoulder again.  
"And you are all telepathic because of these little creatures?" It was so incredible to him.  
"Dad thinks that there may have been some latent ability before we landed on Karturm, but the telepathic ability varies in each of us. Next to Penny, Dad is the most telepathic. Don says that Jimmy, his flutter-dragon, has to knock him over the head with a telepathic brick before he picks up anything. I guess I am somewhat closer to Don in ability than Dad," she explained with a smile.  
Scott enjoyed listening to Judy’s easy bantering as he slowly took control of his emotions. Just being near her was comforting, hearing her voice and looking at her. "How long have you been Mrs. West?" he asked softly.  
"Would you believe it, our nine month anniversary was a week ago. I can safely say that we didn’t waste any time," she said laughing again. "But I’m at the point of thinking that I’ll be heartily glad for Mark to be born. He must be twenty pounds if he’s an ounce."  
"More like seven or so," he answered with a laugh of his own. "This may sound bold, but may I make a special request?"  
"What, Doctor?"  
"Two actually. First, would you call me Scott. And second, may I kiss the bride?" He felt a bit of guilt, but he couldn’t help wanting to get some kind of a kiss from her.  
Judy giggled. "You will be the only one who gets that privilege, Scott. It was a very tiny wedding and no reception."  
Before she could say anything else he leaned over and while his lips were very close to disobeying his mind, he gave her a somewhat more than brotherly kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations, Mrs. West," he murmured, now wishing he were alone, so that he could purge these feelings of despair from his soul.  
Blushing, Judy looked up at him. "Thank you, Scott. You’re very sweet." The flutter-dragon looked up at him, blinked and squeaked softly in what seemed to him a friendly manner.  
No, I’m not, he thought bitterly, but he squelched that thought, smiled, and said, "Thank you, Judy.”

________________________________________

Penny watched Dr. Scott Barlow and Judy walk out of the room. When she had seen the doctor come in, she had stared at him in abject interest. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. And his smile. And to think that Dad had roomed with him for a couple of days. While she looked at the empty doorway in bemusement, her flutter-dragons launched themselves into the air and flew in noisy patterns above her head. They were apparently feeling her happy emotions.  
A technician asked them if they wanted a quick tour, since the station had changed a great deal since their departure. Mom assented and the three of them followed. Penny sincerely hoped that she would get to see Scott again soon. Her heart beat a little faster at the thought, and she touched her face with her fingers. Somehow she felt a bit flushed. The little lizards floated along behind her like a rainbow.


	13. Making Plans

"John, I usually go along with your decisions, but I don’t think you’ve made a good choice in this case," Maureen said, concern coloring her voice. John was leaning back in the chair opposite her. He had spent the last several hours going over the dossiers of several explosives experts. And this was after an entire day convincing various military leaders of the veracity of his claims. The table between them was covered with stacks of papers.  
"Why do you say that?" he asked, genuinely interested in her reasoning.  
"Because I think Col. Black’s personality is going to interfere with the mission."  
"But you agree that she is the best qualified for the job," he said, rubbing his eyes. Silverado sat on the back of the chair, squeaking in concern. Although the flutter-dragon didn’t like being cooped up in the hotel room, he had been adamant about accompanying the two humans to Houston. Maggie was curled up on Maureen’s shoulder.  
"Yes, there’s no dispute about that," she agreed.  
John remembered his first impression of Esther Black’s credentials. Trained with the SEALS, FBI, and several other organizations in the United States, she had also trained with Israeli intelligence and counter-terrorist organizations. And she had been in charge of a ground missile battery when her commanding officer was killed by snipers during the second Persian Gulf War.  
And yet, he knew what Maureen was concerned about. The woman appeared, from her biography, to be incredibly ambitious. He had a feeling that she would resent being pulled away from her current assignment. "Maureen, I don’t doubt that there will be a personality clash, but my main concern here is stopping the Graxod. If Col. Black can do that, then I don’t mind stroking her ego. In this mission, I have no intention on letting my personal pride get in the way of success."  
Maureen just nodded, still uneasy.

________________________________________

Esther Black was more than slightly irritated, she couldn’t verbalize how she was feeling. She was being pulled from a very classified defense program to train some local space hero in weaponry and defense. General Warfield had listened to her not-so-ladylike tirade and calmly told her to shut up and go to the briefing. The highly secret meeting would explain what he couldn’t tell her in his office. The fact that he had reassured her that is was of vital importance didn’t make her feel much better.  
So now she was standing in a small waiting area outside one of the most secure rooms in the United States. Finally, the young lieutenant sitting at a small desk received a phone call and she was ushered into the large briefing room. There were about a dozen military leaders, including several representing the United Nations. They were staring at a large screen on which was displayed the image of one of the most menacing looking creatures she had ever seen. It looked like something that a special effects company in Hollywood would cook up. Her son, Josh, would very much appreciate this creation. But most surprising to her was the man who was describing the image. It was Doctor John Robinson.  
Evidently the rumors were true, the Robinsons had returned. Stopping his lecture, he greeted her. He had a confident, but relaxed demeanor.  
Nodding, she took an empty seat at the table and waited. An attaché handed her a small packet of papers. She flipped through them and saw a picture of the same creature with the name Graxod at the bottom.  
Dr. Robinson interrupted her reverie. "Col. Black, most of what you have missed is covered in the packet you just received. I can answer any question you may have later. But we do need your expertise for an operation, which affects the future existence of Earth. You were recommended by several individuals, not the least of which, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff."  
Now she was a bit intrigued. The paper detailed what amounted to an alien invasion. What she was seeing on the screen, coupled with what she was reading in the packet almost seemed ludicrous. But she had not gotten where she was by spouting off the first thing on her mind, so she just nodded again for him to proceed.  
Esther sat quietly as Dr. Robinson expounded his theories on the impending invasion by these Graxod. She had to admit, Robinson came by his nickname, Professor, honestly. He was an excellent lecturer and he almost had her believing his wild story.  
Then Esther came to a sudden realization. This man and his family had lived in space for the past three and a half years. This was his field of expertise. At least she would give him the benefit of the doubt. Esther listened to horrifying details of these Graxodians’ previous conquests. Part of her mind began plotting defensive and offensive weaponry placement, as well as strategic plans, even though the other part of her mind was telling her this was simply too wild to be true.  
"I had three plans for neutralizing the invasion. While the first might have been successful given time, I believe the second plan will be the one that will have the greatest chance of saving Earth." Dr. Robinson paused to bring up another visual on the screen.  
"Dr. Robinson," Esther said and almost raised her hand as well. She put her hand in her lap immediately, but saw that the professor had noticed the quick movement. There was a slight smile on his handsome face. Irritated at her lapse as well as her attention to his good looks, she nevertheless continued. "What, may I ask was the first plan?"  
"I’m sorry," he said, with a slight smile. It was then that Esther saw the silvery-sheened little creature sitting atop the screen. Looking like a cross between a lizard and an insect, she noticed it watching John Robinson intently.  
"Plan A was an appeal to a small confederation of planets near the galactic core. I left them deliberating, feeling that it was imperative to get here."  
Esther snorted. Yes, she understood bureaucracies.  
"Plan B is where you become involved, Colonel Black. Hopefully we can lay a defensive perimeter around the Earth that will stop the Graxod fleet before they ever get here," By this time the next visual was on the screen. It looked to be a schematic for a device of tremendous explosive power, but several components were unfamiliar to her.  
"Where did you get this blueprint, Professor?" she asked, getting up and approaching the screen.  
"From a galactic library at Wereeshen," he said simply.  
She looked up sharply. "A library?"  
Robinson nodded, totally serious. "I have a whole disk of such plans, but this one seemed to have the greatest potential for success."  
"Sure, if we had the thorellium catalyst capsules and the thermite space detonator master switches," she said disdainfully, reading the visual.  
"But we do," he said softly. "We picked them up on our last stop before making the hyper jump to Earth."  
Miffed that this college professor could so easily anticipate her line of reasoning, she decided that if she was being called in for her expertise, she was jolly well going to use it. Thinking furiously, Esther finally came up with what she felt was a useable plan. "It would seem, Professor, that the ideal place of ambush, so to speak, would be the asteroid belt. We can go ahead and put together that device since it does seem to have merit. Then place many more devices that I have found effective for destroying, shall we say, very large objects. And all are adaptable for space."  
Prof. Robinson seemed ready to say something, but just smiled and said, "I was told we could count on you, Colonel Black, thank you." His smile seemed forced.  
She sat back, pleased. "What ship are we using for this offensive operation?"  
"The Jupiter II, of course. At this time it’s the most capable ship available."  
"The Jupiter II is an unarmed research and colonization ship. I would think that ‘Mars Explorer’ would be a more suitable choice. It has hyperdrive capabilities as well as two laser cannons."  
"Col. Black, the ‘Mars Explorer’ is experimental. The Jupiter II has been tried and tested. If something should happen to myself or Major West, our jobs could be easily taken over by the other members of the crew," the professor explained tersely. "Please be aware of the fact that the decision to use the Jupiter II in this endeavor has already been made. The ‘Mars Explorer’ is going to be used as an advance-warning vessel. A last resort before offensive action is taken."  
He looked steadily at her. "I really feel that I need to finish. There is only a little more to say in this briefing, then we can go over your concerns on the Jupiter II.  
Oh, yes, she thought. There is much more to discuss later. Listening politely, Esther noticed the golden eyes of the little creature boring into hers. They seemed almost accusing.

________________________________________

A mini-shuttle lifted off for rendezvous with the Space Station. Esther, Dr. Robinson and her son, Joshua were the only passengers. Turning to the professor, she asked the question that had been on her mind since her entrance to the briefing. "Tell me, Dr. Robinson, who is in command of this mission?"  
He looked at her and sighed. "Colonel, you were chosen for this endeavor for one reason and one reason only. Your expertise in the field of explosives and demolition as well as strategy. This threat is real...." He paused and looked closely into her face. Esther was disconcerted, she felt as though he was looking into her soul. The little lizard looked at her, squeaked and then closed his eyes.  
"You really don’t believe this is happening." He didn’t ask her, it was a statement. Then he shook his head and looked down. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry." Glancing out the window at the receding Earth, he murmured. "We have to succeed, and we have to believe that despite the odds, we will succeed." He sat quietly for a moment, gazing at the ceiling of the spacecraft.  
"If it will help you do your job better, Colonel; if it will help us defeat the Graxod, then we will share the command, at least until the setting of the explosives is done," he added. Dr. Robinson leaned back in his chair and for an instant, Esther saw a very tired man, a man bearing an incredibly overwhelming weight.  
"That would be logical, wouldn’t it, Professor?" Somehow her accomplishment didn’t seem as meaningful. For a small moment, she felt he was allowing her this victory, and that too, caused her a brief flare of irritation. "This is a military mission."  
"For what it’s worth, Colonel, I, too, am commissioned. I was promoted eight months ago to full bird Colonel. Our rank is equal," he said softly. "It would be better for you to have full command of the explosives phase of the mission, and I will deal with the maintenance of our ship. And, yes, Colonel, before you remind me, I do realize that you have been in rank longer than I have, but I will not relinquish command of the Jupiter II. I know the ship. It’s like a part of my body; it certainly has been an integral part of my life for almost four years."  
Esther nodded. Joshua looked from the port window to his mother to the man across the aisle. Knowing how tough his mother was, he felt a little sorry for Professor Robinson.

________________________________________

Penny found Scott in the infirmary, checking samples in a microscope. "Hi," she said and then hesitated. Suddenly, she wondered what in the world she was doing.  
Looking up, the doctor smiled pleasantly. "Hello, Penny. How have you enjoyed being back on Earth, or at least near it?" He chuckled at his slight faux paux. She smiled back at him.  
"It almost seems strange, Dr. Barlow..." her voice trailed off. Lucy squeaked softly in her ear. "May I call you Scott? Dr. Barlow seems so formal." Her voice seemed overly loud to her and she blushed slightly.  
Scott smiled at the girl’s discomfiture. Almost four years away from civilization would make one uncomfortable around strangers. "Of, course, Penny. I wouldn’t have it any other way."  
"What are you doing?" she asked walking closer to him. Her lizards launched themselves from her shoulder and spiraled gracefully around the room.  
Scott watched them in awe. Like some kind of dance, the little creatures spun and waltzed, their joy tangible and contagious. He laughed and the flutter-dragons squeaked merrily. "Do they always do that?"  
"Yes, they pick up on other’s emotions or they just pass along what they themselves feel," she explained. "The white one is Lucy, the blue-green one is Peter, Susan is yellow-orange, and Edmund is red."  
"From The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, how original," Scott declared. "Oh, to answer your question, I am supposed to periodically check blood samples from all the residents here on the space station to see if living in space has had any adverse effects. None so far."  
"Have you read the Chronicles of Narnia?" she asked.  
"Yes, a long time ago. Loved them."  
"Me, too," Penny said warmly. She stepped closer to Scott as though interested in his work. The lizards sat resting on the end of an examination table.  
"Would you like to see what I’m working on right now?" he asked. She nodded and leaned over the microscope. He leaned over her making sure the sample slide was in place. Penny held her breath, overwhelmed with his proximity. How she wished she could express her feelings as freely as her flutter-dragons did.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen - The Asteroids and More

"Oh, Don. Doesn’t the Earth look beautiful from space?" Judy asked. They were working together on the control board, testing each connection and checking readouts.  
"Yeah," Don replied tersely. Bent over the panel, he was oblivious to the scene outside the window. "Check the stabilizer switch, would you?"  
Judy leaned forward and reached for the switch, noticing how much more difficult it was becoming to do so. She decided that despite what Scott had said, this child was at least ten pounds and still going.  
"Did you try it yet," Don said testily.  
"No, dear, it takes a bit more effort to do so now. My stomach has grown but my arms haven’t," she said, a bit disturbed by his irritability.  
"I’ll do it then," he said reaching across her and flipping the switch in question. Judy leaned back in the chair and looked at her husband carefully. "I think that maybe it would be better if I went below and helped Mom. You are about as pleasant to be around as an old bear."  
"Go ahead," he said shortly, ignoring her second comment.  
"Don, what’s bothering you? You’ve been irritable ever since we got here." Judy asked softly, her feelings a bit hurt by his brusqueness.  
"Nothing. Why don’t you go ahead and help your mother?" His voice sounded a bit more pleasant, but Judy knew it was forced.  
Walking stiffly in mounting irritation, Judy entered the elevator and went down to their living quarters. Don sighed and continued working, wishing he knew how to deal with these feelings that kept him in turmoil. He sighed again, having seen the hurt in Judy’s eyes.

________________________________________

"Oh, Josh, let’s go to the zero G section of the station," Penny said brightly, turning from the observation window of the space station and looking at her companion.  
"Why would you want to do that?" he asked. That was one thing that he had not totally gotten used to. He felt helpless floating in zero gravity.  
"It’s more fun than swimming, and besides, the flutter-dragons like it," she replied.  
The one thing that Josh enjoyed about Penny was her exuberance. There was something else about her too. Some would say she was naive, but he didn’t think that was it, although it was obvious that she hadn’t been around people much. He felt it was more like the simple outlook she had. What he saw was exactly what he got. Most of the girls her age on Earth were putting on fronts, pretending to be something they weren’t. Josh had dealt with many girls who had only been attracted to him because of his ‘status,’ as the co-captain of the basketball team. Now Josh was finding himself liking Penny Robinson because of her honesty and openness. And she was very pretty as well.  
"Sure," he finally said. Artificial gravity was maintained by the spin of the station as well as by other means that he didn’t understand, but as soon as they entered the threshold of the room, gravity ceased and he began to float. A slight surge of panic rose in him and he began thrashing around.  
Penny giggled. "Josh, just pretend you’re swimming or better yet, just stop moving and float." The flutter-dragons floated by her upside down, their gossamer wings catching the air and propelling them along in slow-motion dances. They squeaked their pleasure.  
Josh stopped moving and watched them when his slow spinning motion would allow him to. "They are wonderful creatures, aren’t they?" he asked; then his eyes lit on Penny gracefully ‘swimming’ across the room. His eyes continued to follow her as she somersaulted in mid-air, her hair a waterfall cascade. Her momentum took her to the ceiling where she pushed off easily and floated gently to the floor. Pushing off again, Penny began a zero gravity game of tag. Laughing she latched onto Josh’s arm and then let go as soon as her impetus had started him floating in another direction.  
Josh soon got his space legs in order and at the first opportunity, pushed off from the wall and launched himself towards his companion. Unable to propel herself out of his way, Penny soon found herself caught by the leg and dragged down to him. Grabbing her by the waist, he spun with her in free flight. All the while, the lizards floated by in a parody of the tag the humans were playing, tweaking each other’s tails and legs.  
Penny’s close proximity to him caused Josh’s heart to beat faster. Looking deeply into her large hazel eyes, Josh found himself holding his breath. He wanted to kiss her so badly that his chest hurt, but somehow he knew that wasn’t the right thing to do at this time.  
Pausing slightly, Penny looked into Josh’s bright blue eyes, never having noticed before how intensely blue they really were. Then she smiled and pushed off from him, making them float off in opposite directions. "You won that round, Josh. I thought you said you had never been into space before."  
"I haven’t," he replied, bemused, still pondering how close he had come to kissing her. "But you’ve been a most excellent teacher."

________________________________________

"You did what?" Don asked, his voice rising in agitation.  
"When I was told that a certified physician was to be aboard during all operations in the asteroids, I chose Scott. The choice was approved," John repeated, looking carefully at Don. Except for his brief probing of Esther on the shuttle, John had made it a point to not pry into others’ thoughts and feelings. In fact, he had practiced the shielding techniques to avoid all of the stray emotions that came with proximity to others. However, he was well aware that something had been bothering Don ever since their arrival at the space station. He didn’t need telepathy to figure that out.  
"What’s worrying you, Don?" he asked quietly.  
Glaring at him, Don replied irritably, "You’re the telepath, you tell me." Jimmy sat on top of the Robot’s dome and squeaked testily at his companion. Silverado chirped and ducked his head.  
John took that as an invitation and with Silverado’s help, picked up some of the emotions that Don had been carrying around for the past week. "No wonder Scott has acted strangely," John said in surprise.  
"He even kissed her. I managed to get that through the lizards," the pilot said in exasperation.  
"Don, let me ask you something. Why did you marry my daughter?"  
The eyes that stared into John’s said ‘Dumb question,’ but Don answered nevertheless. "Because I love her."  
"And why did she marry you?"  
"She loves me."  
"And you still love her, right?" John asked.  
"Of course I do; that’s a stupid question," Don said with great emotion.  
"I’m hearing several things. You love Judy deeply. You feel she loves you, but her doctor apparently has feelings for her. And you don’t trust her to stay loyal to her marriage vows," John pointed out bluntly.  
"Now wait a minute, John...."  
"Don, think carefully. Do you doubt Judy’s fidelity to you right now?" John persisted.  
Don thought back over the past few days and realized that her actions had not changed. Sheepishly, he looked at his father-in-law. "No, John, I don’t. I trust Judy and I suppose that I haven’t been fair to her," the pilot said softly. John nodded. "But I guarantee that if Dr. Barlow does anything, I’ll knock his lights out," he added vehemently.  
"I suppose that’s fair enough," John said with a chuckle. "When I have the opportunity, I’ll talk with Scott. For what it’s worth, I trust him, too. I don’t know why he feels the way he does about Judy, but I believe Scott is an honorable man."  
"Thanks, John. This has been very hard to deal with. I’m so afraid of losing Judy. I want her with me forever," he said fervently. "I suppose that I need to go and make up to her for my nasty behavior this past week."  
"That’s probably a good idea. Maureen said she was unhappy this morning and wouldn’t say why. I imagine that your foul temperament was the reason," he said with a slight smile. "I’ll finish the diagnostic here. There’s not much to do since we’ve been keeping the systems up all along."  
Before he left, Don asked, "John, something else has been bothering me lately. What is it between you and our explosives expert? She struts around here like she’s in command and you let her. You know the Joint Chiefs gave you full command here."  
"Our task is to stop the Graxod, not to have a debate over who’s in command. If sharing command duties with Col. Black enables us to do that, then I’ll share command duties," John said simply. "And besides, she is a good commander." Don just shrugged and turned to go below.  
As Don was leaving, Col. Black left the elevator and approached John. "Is this ship ready to leave on a mine laying operation?"  
"Yes, Colonel, the Jupiter II is ready anytime the explosives are," John answered evenly.  
"Good, we’ll leave at 1530 hours. That gives us ninety minutes to prepare," she told him.  
An hour and a half later, the Robinsons were in their flight suits and in position. Esther looked at the ‘crew’ and shook her head in wonder. One member was so pregnant that her suit was tight around her middle. One was so short that he could barely see over the navigational computer and one was a naive looking girl with four pet lizards trying to cling to her flight suit.  
"Let’s go," Esther said. She noticed Maureen Robinson’s stare, but ignored it. She also noticed her son’s unabashed admiration of the youngest Robinson girl, but she would handle that later.  
Josh really couldn’t keep his eyes off Penny. Once when they had shared lunch in Station Delta’s cafeteria, he felt as though he could swim in her eyes. They had bantered about everything and anything. He had taught her tennis in the recreation area, gone in the zero gravity room several times with her, and let her take him on a tour of the Jupiter II, but even after all that, Josh felt that Penny looked to him as just a friend. Nothing more. He had to admit, though, the silver flight suit did nothing but enhance her looks.  
Josh sighed and went below when his mother told him to. Dr. Barlow accompanied him.  
Penny had felt his scrutiny and glanced behind her as the two got into the elevator. She wondered about the doctor, whom she liked, and the young man, who had been so nice to her this past week. Josh had been a wonderful friend to her at a time when she needed a friend, but as he left, she wondered if maybe he was more than a friend. She also wondered about Scott. Confused, Penny turned back to the long-range scanners that her mother was in charge of.  
"How do you get a girl to like you?" Josh asked the doctor as they headed for the galley.  
"Good question, Josh. You just try to be natural and not pushy, and maybe she’ll realize that you’re alive," he said, with a sigh. "I assume you are referring to Penny."  
"Yeah. Even her flutter-dragons seem to like me more than she does," he said sadly. Josh had noticed lately that the little red lizard had taken a liking to lying on his shoulder.

________________________________________

"Don, jump coordinates are entered and ready," John said.  
"We are cleared for disengagement from Docking Bay 5," Maureen informed them.  
"Disengaged," Don reported as he skillfully guided the spacecraft away from Station Delta. "Two hundred kilometers away." The Jupiter II soared away from the space station and then with ever increasing speed shot around the moon.  
"Hyper jump sequence initiated. Will, on my command.... engage now," John told him. Will pulled the activator switch and the coalescing, congealing band of starlight formed outside the observation window.  
"This must be the ultimate speed thrill for a college boy. Better than a sports car," Esther commented. John flushed and shot an intensely irritated glance at her before turning his attention back to the navigational computer. Esther was aware of the scrutiny of the rest of the Robinson family and figured she had hit a sore spot with the family, and then fleetingly wondered what possessed her to go that far.  
"I’m sorry. I was just joking," she said quickly and then got her mind back on business.  
The actual laying of the devices took a day and a half of tiny hyper jumps, delicate maneuvering, and some space walking. There was little time for anything else except short naps and hurried meals. When they were done, Esther was pleased. "I believe that we’ve done this in excellent time, people. We’ll head back to the space station and after a good night’s sleep, pick up the rest of the explosives and get them in place."  
"Will," John said. "Load up the hyperdrive coordinates in the navigational computer and check the figures." The professor, if he had been inclined to do so, could probably have counted on both hands the number of times that he had spoken directly to Col. Black during the whole operation.  
"They’re in, Dad."  
John checked Will’s figures. "Very good, son. Coordinate the jump with Don." John stood back and watched his son. Will followed the procedure, and soon the ship was in hyperspace. "Excellent, Will," he said, laying his hand on his son’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly. Will looked up at him, obviously well pleased with his father’s praise.  
Glancing over his shoulder, he informed Esther, "I will be down below in the cargo area for a short time. When we come out of hyperspace, the Jupiter II will be in the capable hands of Major West." Turning on his heel, he stalked to the access ladder, and was soon out of sight. Don and Judy looked after him curiously, while Maureen appeared ready to spit nails, which is the way she had looked during most of the trip in the asteroid belt.  
"Colonel Black, may I speak privately with you? Major West really doesn’t need our help right now, and there is something that I feel we need to discuss," Maureen told her. Nodding, Esther followed Maureen to the elevator and down to the next level.


	15. Clearing the Air

Chapter Fifteen - Clearing the Air  
Maureen had taken Esther down to the galley area. She felt more comfortable there. More comfortable to do the undesirable task that she knew had to be done. The colonel stood near the new stove, calmly waiting for Maureen to begin.  
"Col. Black, John told me a week ago that he chose you for your qualifications..." Maureen began.  
"He chose me?" Esther said. She had always assumed that her assignment had been made by Alpha Control.  
"Don’t interrupt me again, Colonel," Maureen said coldly. "When I’m done, I will let you say whatever you wish to me, but I have put up with your superiority complex for a lot longer than I should have. The only reason I did so was because of John’s insistence that you have free rein to devise the means to stop the Graxod when they show up."  
Esther just stared at the woman that she had disdainfully thought to be a weak shadow of a weak husband. She had been wondering how this family had survived for over three years in presumably hostile environments. In chagrin, the colonel was beginning to think that she might just find out.  
"I have acquiesced to John’s desires, but I will not stand by anymore and let him be humiliated by a hard-nosed feminist whose only desire is to command." Maureen saw Esther wince and start to say something, but she wasn’t going to let her make any comments before she had had her say.  
"That college boy crack was the straw that broke my camel’s back." Maureen’s eyes flashed. "How dare you make assumptions just because John has more education than you, or because he, a college professor, has successfully commanded a space mission for over three years. You have been jibing at my husband ever since you began this operation, and it will stop. How do you think we made it for three years, lost and dealing with hostile environments? Luck? Some genie in a bottle?"  
"No," Maureen paused briefly to take a short breath. "No, we are still alive because of John’s drive and determination. Because of his all-consuming desire to keep us alive. Many times my husband has risked death to save a member of the family. Right now he is putting aside his personal feelings to save the human race. How dare you treat him as though he is of no worth in this endeavor?" Maureen was almost right in Esther’s face. She had to look up, because the colonel was several inches taller. Maureen’s blue eyes bored into Esther’s brown ones and the colonel saw the strength that she had not taken the time to find before.  
"John didn’t get into college by virtue of a rich family. He worked to get there. I bet you didn’t take the time to find out that your ‘partner in command’ had PAC 10, SEC, WAC and Big 10 colleges begging him to come to their schools to play football, did you? He turned them all down. The youngest son of a lower middle class blue-collar worker turned down free ride scholarships because he wanted to get a degree in planetary science.  
"If you wanted to accuse someone of having a free ride, then accuse me. My father owned Tomlinson Engineering. I was the privileged one. Oh, I had all kinds of boys wanting to marry into my rich heritage, but when he proposed, I chose John. Why? Because he possessed drive, integrity and guts, and that was over and above the fact that he treated me like a queen. He still does." Maureen stopped and gathered breath. "He had a dream and was going to work for it. Don’t belittle him again, he doesn’t deserve it." Maureen suddenly turned and sat down at the table. "I’m done, you can say your piece, Colonel." She suddenly felt drained and laid her head in her hands.  
"There really is nothing I can say, Mrs. Robinson, except that I believe I need to think a bit. And also that I know now why your family survived out there for three years, and it wasn’t just because of John Robinson." When Maureen looked up, she saw Esther heading to the little cabin that had once been Dr. Smith’s room.  
Maggie floated silently to the table and walked across to look into Maureen’s eyes. The flutter-dragon crooned softly. Maureen smiled and rubbed the lizard under the chin. "You are well named, Maggie. Like my mother, you know just what to say and when to say it," she said softly. "Thank you." Maggie squeaked quietly and rubbed under Maureen’s chin before climbing on her shoulder.  
Getting up, she began preparing the evening meal. After she had started the meal and was setting the table, Maureen heard John’s footsteps behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that he had been working out with Max again. His hair was disheveled, and the towel around his neck, as well as his shirt, looked damp. Walking up to her, he put his arms around her waist and hugged her close. "I’m sorry my love, I should have cleaned up first, but you looked so ravishing in here that I couldn’t help myself," he said with a chuckle.  
Returning his hug, Maureen was astonished at the strength in his arms. She felt the muscles bunch as he gathered her close to him. "John, be careful!" she exclaimed. "You don’t know your own strength."  
She laughed softly until her husband smothered her lips in a passionate kiss. Pulling away slightly, he murmured, "I love you so much, Mo." Then he kissed her again, and the fierceness of his embrace took her breath away. Neither one heard the soft footsteps in the corridor, and astonishingly, they were left alone for some time.

________________________________________

Later that evening, Esther approached John as he was checking the life support systems with Will. "May I speak with you, Commander Robinson?"  
John was a bit startled by her statement, not only because she asked to speak with him, but also by the way she had addressed him. She had never called him commander, preferring to use her slightly disdainful rendering of ‘professor.’ "Will, go down to the cargo bay and see if Don needs your help."  
"Sure, Dad," the boy said, giving his father a puzzled look.  
"What can I do for you, Colonel?" John asked warily.  
"Despite our past differences, please don’t take my next comment as criticism. But don’t you think that we are asking for trouble by having young people on board right now?" she asked. "By your own admission, the Graxod could show up at anytime."  
Puzzled, John listened to the colonel’s voice and realized that there was no sarcastic lilt to her comments. She was genuinely concerned, and she had an excellent point. "I’m so used to having my family with me, that now that I have a choice, I wasn’t even thinking about it."  
"I assumed that was the case and I also realize you have had no time to train a back-up crew, but surely the Jupiter II can be piloted just as easily by yourself, Maj. West, the Robot, and if you want, myself. I have had pilot’s training."  
"After all these years, the thought of splitting up the family, even temporarily, is wrenching." He sighed and looked out the observation window. Still confused by the colonel’s seeming change in attitude, he decided not to question it. "You’re right. At the very least, Will, Penny and Josh should stay behind in Station Delta. I will try to convince Judy, but she is an adult and despite her condition, will want to stay with Don."  
"You’re the commander, Col. Robinson. You can order her for the good of the mission."  
"No, that really won’t work in this situation. I tried that once before when we were stranded on a planet. It almost tore the family apart emotionally. Judy is an adult and is also part of her own family. As much as I would like to make her decision for her, I will only advise her, Colonel."  
Esther shrugged, still struggling with his style of command. "It’s your crew and you have done well by it these past years. By the way, my name is Esther, if you want to be less formal."  
John’s face must have registered his shock. Esther laughed uneasily. "Colonel, let’s just say that I understand a few things better than I did a day ago. I’m sorry I gave you so much grief. Many things have happened to me in my life, and I suppose that you were the recipient of some of that emotional fallout. But I was raised to be a very tough woman. In my family, if you weren’t ultra tough you were browbeat and harassed until you got that way. Your style of command really set me on edge."  
"I think I understand, and I appreciate your attempt to understand my crew’s informality. I suppose my style comes from this being a family organization, so to speak," John finally said, relief showing in his voice. "My name is John, by the way. I never liked being called by my military title. As you can tell, I’m not military."  
"So I’ve noticed," Esther said evenly and then chuckled.  
"I suppose that I’d better let Maureen know about this and then break the news to the children," John told her. "Although I’m not looking forward to it," he added, remembering the time he had tried to send his children home with the lone astronaut, Hapgood.

________________________________________

Will stared at his Dad in shock. "But why, Dad?"  
"Will, if we encounter the Graxod, the last thing I want would be for you to be in their hands. You’ve met one of their commanders," John explained. "Needless to say, your mother, Esther and I have consulted on this and decided. This is what we’re going to do. We’ll take off first thing in the morning, so that will give you three time to settle in rooms in Station Delta tonight."  
Will and Penny looked at their dad while Josh saw his mother’s countenance, and all three decided that there was absolutely nothing they could say to change anyone’s mind. Judy looked resolute, as though she had spent part of the evening arguing with someone. Will decided that she probably had. Don didn’t look very happy either.  
An hour after Josh and Will had settled into their shared cabin, Penny quietly tapped on their door. Will opened it and let her in. He had been expecting her and had been near the door.  
"That’s uncanny," Josh stated softly from his bunk.  
"Will, we decided we weren’t going to be separated before and here we are," Penny stated, her lizards squeaking indignantly at their move from familiar quarters. "And don’t echo Dad like you usually do. You and I know if the mines don’t work, then being here or at Grandpa’s won’t mean anything because the Graxod will get us anyway. I’d rather meet them with Mom and Dad near me." She looked at the two boys with the beginning of tears in her eyes.  
"I agree, Penny. You won’t get an argument from me," Will concurred. "But Dad will really be ticked when he discovers us."  
"That’s an understatement, but once we’re in space, it won’t matter."  
"Well, let me tell you that what my mother will say and do is not going to be pleasant, either, but I’m with you, too," Josh added. "I won’t be left here alone," he added, looking at Penny meaningfully. She felt more than friendship in his gaze, and for some reason it gave her a bit of a thrill.  
Lately, Penny had been finding her thoughts more on Josh than on Scott. Somehow it made her feel a bit disloyal, but she wondered to what. Scott didn’t seem to see her as anything but a child; while Josh treated her like she was special. Then it dawned on her what seemed familiar about that. It was the way her dad treated her mom. With widened eyes, she realized that Josh really liked her. Now she really did feel warm inside. Peter squeaked triumphantly and spiraled into the air with the others trailing behind, providing a happy chorus.  
"Well, if we’re going to sneak back in we have to make sure the flutter-dragons realize that they have to keep their thoughts to themselves until it’s too late to turn back and hand us over to the Delta MP’s," Will said. "We can’t go on board until a few hours before launch. Less chance of the lizards passing along stray thoughts."  
"Sounds good," Josh agreed. "Let’s set the alarm for 2:00 a.m. and then we can wait near the docking bay." Seeing their puzzled looks, Josh expounded. "Well, it’s kind of informal on your ship. So we need to be near the docking bay in case they decide that first thing in the morning is 0400."  
Penny laughed and nodded. "Yeah, Dad sometimes gets nervous about things like that. He might be up and preparing for launch before anyone else gets up."  
So at the late hour of 2:30 in the morning, the three teenagers were keeping watch near the docking bay of the Jupiter II. At 3:00 they grew impatient and as quietly as possible, sneaked on board, hiding in the chariot. "We shouldn’t have to worry about the others’ lizards until after the launch and just before the hyper jump," Penny explained. Thankfully, Max had deactivated himself, not being needed.  
Making themselves comfortable, the three conspirators curled up between the seats. The flutter-dragons lay down beside them, Edmund choosing to make himself at home next to Josh’s head. The colonel’s son fell asleep in total contentment.


	16. Meeting the Graxod

Very early the next morning, John went down for a short workout with Max. Both the robot and the man were clearly pleased when the professor had called an end to it. "Dr. Robinson, I believe that you could vanquish any Graxod commander, if you fought like you did this morning. But if the opportunity ever arises, never forget that a Graxod will use any means at his disposal to defeat his opponent."  
"I won’t forget, Max. But I hope that it doesn’t come to a duel at all," John admitted. Max began to put the swords away. "Store mine without its protective covering, Max."  
"Very well, sir," the robot said and walked away, carefully carrying the case.  
Wiping the sweat from his face, John watched the robot, then turned and went up the elevator. From the chariot’s window, Josh had seen the entire bout, amazed at this side of Penny’s father that he had not thought possible. The boy wondered where the elder Robinson had picked up such a blade. It was magnificent, as was his use of it. Lying back down, he tried to doze off, but was too keyed up. Edmund crawled onto his chest and stared at him, crooning, and amazingly, Josh soon found himself falling asleep.

________________________________________

The 4:30 launch was smooth and the transition into hyperspace flawless. Somehow John felt a deep loneliness on the observation deck with only three family members, but with luck, they would be done in a day and be able to get back to the space station to see the children. With Don piloting and Maureen and Judy monitoring support systems, John and Esther were able to place the devices as quickly as they had on the previous run. Scott watched, fascinated, as the small group worked quietly and efficiently and he helped wherever he could.  
John had just left the ship and was slowly jetting to the next site with a particularly large device in tow. Esther was monitoring his progress. "Match speed, John. You don’t want to actually attach it, but have them in twin orbits. Easy.....easy. Good. Release," came her voice. "Great. I’ll get the next one ready for launch. We should be able to set the next half dozen without leaving the ship."  
Smiling, John used the tiny jet pack to slowly realign himself for the return to the Jupiter II. This business was much easier when the principals involved were not working at cross-purposes with one another.  
"John?" Maureen’s voice came over his radio. There was a worried note to it.  
"Yes, dear?" he asked.  
"I’m picking up man-made objects just beyond the orbit of Neptune; several very large and all coming fast. You’d better get inside; I think this is it."  
"Esther, we’re going to launch the next half dozen in a cluster," he said as he jetted back to the Jupiter II. That was soon accomplished, much to John’s relief. The fewer explosive devices left on board the better.  
Soon they were all gathered around the long distance scanner watching the incoming vessels. "Their velocity is incredible," John breathed. "Don, pull back and match orbit with Deimos as previously planned. We’ll just have to pray that we have done enough." He turned to Esther. "I want to thank you again for your insight that has kept the kids away from this." She nodded, staring at the evidence of that which she had once scoffed at. "Maureen did you get a report from the ‘Mars Explorer?’ "  
"Yes, John. The ship disappeared from the screen at the same time that the sensors picked up the Graxod fleet." Her eyes held a hint of fear, but she maintained a professional calm about her.  
Suddenly, John paled and a small knot of despair implanted itself in his chest. "Penny," he murmured so low that no one heard him. "No, not now. Not now!" His voice rose as his alarm did.  
"John, what is it?" Maureen asked. Then fear showed bright in her eyes as understanding dawned. "The children are on board."  
Esther looked confused. "The children were left behind."  
"No, they weren’t, Esther. Our enterprising youngsters smuggled themselves on board. They are down in... Penny’s cabin." John leaned over and pressed the communications switch. "Penny, I want you and the boys to stay put until this military action is concluded. It may get rough. And this time do as I say," he ordered.  
"Yes, Daddy," came the timorous reply.  
"How did you know?" Esther looked at him in awe.  
"Felt their presence," he said absently, his eyes still glued to the readouts. Then he felt Esther’s confusion and growing fear. By now Silverado was sitting on his shoulder and Don had the Jupiter II in position near the Martian moon, Deimos.  
"Esther, this is neither the time nor the place for a lengthy discussion of telepathy. We need to focus on the Graxod. But let me assure you that I have not used what tiny ability that I have to pry into your mind," John assured her. "Although that’s been tough. You are one cool cucumber on the outside, but on the inside...." John paused with a slight smile.  
"Pry? Wait a minute. That’s what you were talking about on the shuttle," she said accusingly.  
"Yes, I’m sorry. That was a moment of weakness on my part. I think that up until now, everyone on Earth has been humoring me, only doing what has been done because of my background and reputation." He shrugged. "Of course, that’s okay, too. It may have been enough."  
"Hostiles approaching the asteroid belt," Don interrupted them. "The big ships seem to be holding back. What’s coming in are lots of smaller ships. I’d say reconnaissance craft. And you were right, John. They have come in at almost the exact area you thought they would."  
The group watched the approach of about two dozen spacecraft, each about one tenth the size of the Jupiter II. Images of Star Wars and similar space videos came to Esther’s mind. As the first wave approached the explosives, they disintegrated in bright flashes. It was disconcerting not to hear any explosions, but she realized that there were no explosive sounds in the vacuum of space.  
The second wave tried to veer off, but because of the placement of the mines it made that maneuver ineffective. Most of those craft were destroyed or disabled as well. Esther and Don smiled wolfish grins. "They’re working!!" she exclaimed.  
John kept pensively quiet. It wasn’t the small ships that bothered him. He felt it was the large battle cruisers that were going to determine whether they had succeeded in deterring the invasion or not. Maureen gave them reports of similar successes from other points in or near the asteroid belt. Many of the little space ships started hovering as though awaiting orders. Finally the remaining Graxod ships veered and returned to their mother craft, which slowly approached the asteroid belt.  
Of the three large battleships, the smallest one, a battle-scarred and utilitarian looking ship approached first. As it penetrated the circle of protection that the humans had erected, several of the mines exploded. John watched closely and noticed a slight shimmering effect around the areas of impact. "Force fields," John said dourly. "The bigger ships have large enough force fields to withstand our explosives." As he spoke, one of the larger devices detonated, causing what appeared to be minor damage on the bow of the ship. But not enough to force it to retreat.  
"They are using the more expendable ship to blow a hole in our defensive ring," Don said sourly.  
"Yes, they are," John concurred. Esther cursed softly.  
"What does that mean now, John?" Scott asked, his eyes wide in fear.  
"It means that we are left with plan C," John said simply.  
"I never asked you, what is plan C?" Esther queried.  
"The Womgrantiod." John turned to the intercom. "Max, bring up my plantiod-crinth." Turning to Maureen, who was shaking her head, he said, "Maureen, open up a tight beam to Earth."  
"Alpha Control. This is John Robinson on the Jupiter II. Are you reading me?" Within minutes he received an affirmative. "Listen carefully, I am going to implement the only other plan that I know of that will stop the Graxod. Their smaller ships were stopped by the mines, but the three battle cruisers have penetrated and are approaching Mars. If my plan is successful, you should hear from me within three or four hours. If no contact is made using the defensive codes within five hours, presume us dead or imprisoned and make whatever defensive motions you deem necessary. But it is imperative that no offensive be taken until that time has elapsed. Do you copy, Alpha Control?" As soon as he received the affirmative, he terminated the link with Earth.  
"Where do you want me to take the ship now, John?" Don asked quietly, turning quickly as Max came out of the elevator and walked up to John, the long case in his hands.  
"Nowhere, Don." Opening up the case, John removed the sword and its sheath. Holding up the weapon, he saw that Max had sharpened it after the last bout. It gleamed with an icy cold sheen, and slid into the sheath with the finality of a coffin lid closing for the last time. It fit comfortably against his left hip, but the task ahead weighed uncomfortably on his mind.  
Getting a fix on the Graxod fleet, John opened up audio communications. "Graxod fleet, this is Colonel John Robinson, commander of the Jupiter II. Put me through to your Lord Commander," he ordered.  
There was a short pause. "This is Lord Kalingdor cl Braxir/Graxod. Are you calling to effect the surrender of Earth?"  
"On the contrary, Lord Kalingdor. It would seem that our human defenses have done considerable damage to your fleet. I am calling to warn you to return to your home planet. If you persist, this will become a very costly invasion for your people." John smiled without humor at his bluff. Esther was mesmerized by John’s seeming calm as well as the hissing noise emanating from the speaker.  
"Please, Colonel, forgive my laughter," Lord Kalingdor said, the sibilant barking signifying his contempt of John’s answer. "That pitiful attempt was simply a little surprise that you pathetic humans were able to prepare. It would be interesting to know how your insignificant planet knew of our arrival, but is not really important in the end." John could hear the slight lilt of curiosity in the hissing speech of the alien.  
"Because I warned them, Commander," John laughed. "Do not assume that we are backward primitives huddling around our campfires, like those poor wretches on Alpha Centauri." He heard gasps from behind him.  
The hissing became more pronounced. "Why are you bantering with me and wasting my time? Concede defeat and be done with it. It will go easier with your people," the Graxod said angrily.  
"Visual, Maureen." She did so and drew in a quick breath when the image of the tall, death’s head looking alien appeared on their screen.  
"Lord Kalingdor cl Braxir/Graxod, as commander of the interstellar craft Jupiter II, I invoke the Womgrantiod," John said ceremoniously. The Graxod inhaled violently in surprise. Then he looked at the sword hanging at John’s side. The professor stood sedately with his arms folded across his chest. Silverado peered around his neck and squeaked challengingly at the Graxod. John silently commanded him to be quiet.  
"Why should I stoop to fight a human? I will soon have the human race beneath my feet," Kalingdor hissed.  
"Because to refuse a commander the right of combat would cause you to lose face, Commander, and I believe that you have two sub-commanders behind you that would probably need only a slight excuse to try your skills with the plantiod-crinth," John said with a satisfied smile. "You have heard my challenge; I await your answer. Unless, of course, you are afraid that a pathetic human will defeat you." Nodding to Maureen to cut the transmission, he let the smile fade.  
"John, I’m sorry I ever doubted you," Esther murmured. "Now what is this combat you are talking about?" John quickly explained it to her. "And under no circumstances is anyone to do anything until I have been acknowledged Lord Commander or everything could be negated."  
The communications light came on. John reached over and activated his end of the transmission. Lord Kalingdor stood haughtily peering at him through his small, slightly protruding eyes. "I accept your challenge, human...."  
"I am Commander John Robinson or you can call me Colonel Robinson, but you will treat your opponent with a least a touch of respect, Lord Commander," John ordered.  
The alien blinked at him. "Very well, Colonel Robinson. I will use a greater degree of deference, at least until I have you begging on the floor for the tiodzin."  
John nodded. "I challenged. What is your choice of sites for the battle, your control room or mine?"  
"That I will not concede to, Commander. The womgrantiod will take place in my shuttle bay. A human will not step foot on my control room until I am dead."  
John laughed. "As you wish, Lord Commander. I will bring my shuttle to your ship."  
"No, Commander Robinson, you will relinquish control of your propulsion units, and we will tow your craft to our shuttle bay. We can do that now anyway, but if you cooperate in this then your engines will not be harmed in trying to escape," Kalingdor said haughtily.  
Shrugging, John acquiesced, and ordered Don to shut the Jupiter II’s propulsion system down. Soon they felt the tug of a towing beam, and not long after that, the space ship was resting inside a huge hangar. "This is it, troops," John told them.


	17. The Womgrantiod

Chapter Seventeen - The Womgrantiod  
Don lowered the ramp and John exited, standing near the Jupiter II in his silver flight suit, plantiod-crinth resting gently on his hip and Silverado on his shoulder. Lord Commander Kalingdor approached with a contingent of his subordinates. John was satisfied to note that they were about the same height, which meant that the Graxod commander was of medium height for his race.  
"Well, at least I am wasting my time on a capable looking human," Kalingdor sneered. John noticed a small translator at his waist that was similar to the one on his own. "Although the pet is unwise to stay with you at this time." Silverado chirped indignantly.  
"Lord Commander, it is gratifying to see that I am dueling with a Graxod of prodigious height," John laughed shortly. "Now, in Earth vernacular, let’s cut the bull and get to the womgrantiod," he added coldly. John was pleased to note that the translator had to pause a few times before interpreting his second statement somewhat correctly.  
Kalingdor’s breath hissed like a steam kettle. "Your people will come out of your ship; all of them. I will not have someone left behind to treacherously kill me with hidden weapons."  
Apparently, Maureen heard the Graxod’s statement. She started down the ramp before John could make a reply. The others followed. The professor saw that his wife was trying valiantly to stare down the alien commander, but he knew that her exterior was hiding a deep fear. A fear for his safety and for the others, including the children.  
"Our sensors indicate three more humans. They must come out now," Kalingdor commanded.  
"They are only young ones and pose no threat," John said, dismayed at the children’s discovery.  
Another Graxod walked over to Esther and placed what looked to be a knife against her throat. "Call them out, Commander."  
Reluctantly, John did so. "Lord Commander, this just adds to the reasons for my defeating you in the combat," he said ominously.  
Kalingdor walked away from John to examine the group, when all were assembled. "This appears to be a family unit. Do humans always take the family unit into combat zones?"  
"Some do," John answered evenly.  
"Then your family will get to witness the demise of its patriarch." Walking over to Judy, he felt a lock of her long blonde hair. She pulled back from him, a look of revulsion on her face. John admonished Don to control himself with a glance and a mental command. He could only hope that his hot-headed friend could keep a reign on his actions as well as his emotions. "Well, it would seem that this one will be a suitable host for a Braxir offspring when the vermin is excised from her," he said with a hissing laugh.  
Before John could say or do anything, Don launched himself at the Graxod. "I’ll kill you for that, you......" A Graxod guard jumped between them, and suddenly Don stepped back, staring down at the spreading red stain on the front of his flight suit. The guard held a bloody dirk in his hand, which he slid back into its hidden sheath.  
Scott rushed up to Don, who was leaning against his wife, the blood seeping between his fingers. Judy was also trying to stop the flow of blood. Scott jerked off his shirt and used it on the wound, at the same time easing the wounded pilot to the deck. Looking up at Kalingdor, he said, "I have to get him on board where I have medical supplies."  
"Not until the end of the combat, and then it won’t matter anyway," Kalingdor said, laughing at his own joke.  
John watched Scott work on Don. The little knot of despair threatened to enlarge and fill his chest. Angry with himself, he felt that he could have prevented it, done something. Don raised his head and looked into John’s eyes. "John, focus. Just do it. I know you can," he said quietly. John slid the plantiod-crinth out of its sheath and used it to salute Don and the rest of the group. Silverado and the other flutter-dragons clustered on the edge of the landing ramp squeaking a chorus of encouragement.  
Doing a military about-face, John continued to hold the sword in front of him and simply said, "Grandzin."  
Kalingdor burst into action, pulling his sword from its sheath and swinging it in a horizontal arc that ended on John’s still vertical blade. The professor had simply stepped back slightly, so that his opponent’s sword clanged against his, without touching him. John’s plantiod-crinth didn’t waver, and several of the Graxod gasped sibilantly at the ability of the human to withstand the commander’s blow.  
Then while Kalingdor was still stunned by his opponent’s strength, John went into a spin that brought the sword against the Graxod’s, the momentum ending as the blades slid together all the way down to the hilt. John raised his right foot and brought it down hard on the commander’s instep, or what served as one. Kalingdor howled with pain and backed off several steps. John didn’t give him any respite. He followed the alien, applying one-handed blows that kept Kalingdor on the defensive for several minutes.  
John employed fencing moves, leading with his right leg and shouting as he advanced, which further disconcerted his opponent. Kalingdor reversed his lead, shifting the blade to his left hand and swinging low. Throwing himself to the side and somersaulting in a move that brought him to his feet immediately, John spun around to find the Graxod almost directly in front of him. Kalingdor then lunged in a way that would have certainly placed the blade between his ribs had John not danced lightly out of the way.  
With a loud shout, John parried the Graxod’s move and reached in and made a cut below Kalingdor’s collarbone. Hissing in rage, the alien lunged again and again, becoming more and more enraged as John continually parried his blows. Finding his stride, the professor began smiling as he kept withstanding Kalingdor’s blows. This further infuriated the commander.  
Mindful of Don’s condition and his need for medical care, John pressed his advantage. The Graxod was inexorably forced to retreat backward, and John reached under his opponent’s blade and scored another cut, taking the braid off of his military uniform in the same move.  
In a series of lightning fast moves, both parties advanced and retreated, neither combatant giving more than a meter. The sweat began to roll down his face, and John shook his head to clear his eyes. Kalingdor took advantage of the moment and advanced on him in an overhand swing that brought his blade down on the professor’s with a crash that rattled his teeth. John realized that he wouldn’t be able to keep this up forever. He thrust the alien’s blade aside with his sword and again changed his balance to his left leg. He immediately drew his right leg back and hit the commander in the chest with his heel.  
A loud whooshing of breath told John that he had scored well, and he followed up with an advance that gave Kalingdor no time to recover. Finally, John reached in with the tip of the plantiod-crinth and ripped the Graxod’s blade out from his grasp. The professor advanced on the commander, placing his sword tip at the base of the commander’s throat. "Declare the tiodzin, Kalingdor," John said hoarsely. He prodded the sharp tip just enough to draw a few beads of the dark red blood on the Graxod’s neck.  
The commander’s next move was anticipated only a split second in advance by Penny, who screamed in his mind. At the same time, Kalingdor held up a device in his left hand and a bright, searing flash of light hit John in the face.  
The shock of the device lasted only a moment, but John realized that it had been enough to knock him to the deck. A burning sensation ripped from his eyes into his brain and then stopped, leaving only a slight throbbing of pain and a dry, sandy feeling under his eyelids. And darkness. Absolute, total darkness. John felt the cold metal plates beneath him, and he also realized that the sword was no longer in his hand. Kalingdor was laughing his hissing, sibilant laugh, but what he heard over everything was Maureen’s voice, crying and calling his name.  
‘It’s all right, Mo,’ he thought desperately, trying to soothe her. 'It’s only temporary.' Slowly getting to his knees, he tried to rub the sandy feeling out of his eyes, but knew that he wouldn’t be able to succeed. He knew from Penny’s insight and the gloating, triumphant thoughts of the Graxod that no amount of rubbing would help. The deep, velvet blackness closed around him, and the little knot of despair that he had kept under tight rein was threatening to engulf him. He had gambled and lost; he had failed his family. His weakness had doomed the human race to miserable slavery.  
Then a coldness settled into his mind and encapsulated the despair. He might have lost, but never would he give up. ‘Penny, where is the sword?’ he queried telepathically, hoping she was focused on him.  
‘Right in front of you, Daddy,’ she returned. ‘About two feet.’  
As he reached for the sword, he heard Kalingdor’s sibilant voice rise in triumph. "You lost, human. Declare the tiodzin, human vermin, declare it and I will make your end painless." Putting his hand out at what he thought was two feet, John was gratified to feel the hilt. Then as he was slowly standing up, he saw flashes of scenes around the shuttle bay.  
Revelation hit him like a meteor and with it hope. ‘Silverado!!’ he shouted mentally. Almost immediately, he felt the slight weight that indicated the flutter-dragon on his shoulder. ‘Show me Kalingdor,’ he ordered. Concentrating on seeing what the lizard was seeing, John soon was able to orient himself again.  
Standing in front of a very surprised Kalingdor, he drew himself up to his full height and addressed not only the commander, but all of the Graxod. "Be aware that you are not dealing with a race that will give up as you have experienced in the past. You are dealing with humans; Homo Sapiens. We have the will and drive not only to make you regret trying to enslave us, but also to defeat you. I will never declare the tiodzin. You will have to kill me, Kalingdor, and then you will have to do the same thing over and over again when you get to Earth. This invasion will be your Vietnam."  
Without giving the Graxod time to wonder at the human’s seeming recovery, John cried out and advanced on the commander, swinging the sword in a scathing arc that would have taken the alien’s head off, had he not moved back. As it was a slight line of dark red blood welled up from the cut on Kalingdor’s neck.  
Feeling the flutter-dragon slip and clutch at his suit, John admonished Silverado to hang on at all costs as he advanced again, slashing and thrusting at the shocked commander. Kalingdor finally decided that his opponent had not been greatly affected by his weapon and started offensive movements of his own. By now, fatigue had set in, and coupled with the shock of the commander’s disruptor, John felt his strength begin to wane. He was fighting two-handed and he knew there was less strength in his blows.  
Silverado hung on tightly, his golden eyes never wavering from the Graxod commander. Grateful for his friend’s loyalty, John focused on finding an advantage and using it to end this fight before total exhaustion set in. The clarity of the flutter-dragon’s vision was astonishing, at least at close range, and John saw things in his mind that he never noticed with his own eyes. He saw the almost imperceptible limp that Kalingdor was affecting as he advanced and retreated, and he saw that the commander’s lips had tightened and paled.  
The limp was in the left leg. Feinting an advance, John again shifted his weight. This time the alien anticipated his move and lunged. Simply pivoting on his right heel and grabbing the alien’s sword arm with his left hand, the professor brought the hilt of his plantiod-crinth down solidly on the Graxod’s left kneecap. With a scream, Kalingdor dropped to the deck. Again John brought the sword point to the commander’s neck. "Declare the tiodzin," John said for all to hear. "Admit defeat, Kalingdor," he shouted, pressing the sword closer. Silverado’s sharp eyes detected movement in the alien’s right hand. Swinging the sword aside in a lightning swift move, John made a slashing wound across the Graxod’s wrist. The alien cried out again and held his wrist close to his body.  
"Tiodzin, say it, Kalingdor! Say it and live," John repeated. And then in a move that John didn’t think the commander had in him, the alien grabbed his sword and swung it trying to slash his legs. Jumping sideways, John brought the sword down in a swift arc and Kalingdor’s head rolled away from his body. The Graxod’s lifeblood flowed on the metal decking.  
"The Womgrantiod is ended, Graxod warriors. I have won. Is there any Graxod who wishes to dispute my claim as your new Lord Commander?" He turned slowly; getting a picture of each Graxod in attendance, and saw only shocked stares.  
One of the sub-commanders finally came forward and bowed. "You have surely earned the right to be Lord Commander, my Lord."  
"What is your name?" John asked him, his breathing slowly returning to normal.  
"Mdorin cl Graxod, my Lord. I am in charge of communications, if that is your desire," the Graxod said. The others in the room bowed their heads slightly. "What is your first command, my Lord?"  
Turning to Scott, he said, "Take Major West to the Jupiter II and if you can’t do anything else, put him in a cryogenics tube." Don was unconscious, but still alive, much to John’s relief. The womgrantiod had seemed an eternity, and he felt the beginnings of adrenalin letdown.  
John turned back to the Graxod sub-commanders and pondered briefly. The one called Mdorin seemed to have no other thoughts in his mind than to serve his commander, himself. There were no thoughts of challenge, only curiosity, some anger and a bit of fear of the future. John felt the stirrings of distaste in the minds of the others, a ‘wait and see’ attitude in most. That this would be a difficult command, John had no doubt. That most of these men would fall on him at the slightest sign of weakness, was apparent.   
Addressing the subcommander, he said, "Mdorin, it’s not my desire for you to be in charge of communications, but to be my second-in-command." Mdorin looked at him in shock, and then he bowed. Next John ordered, "Have several men take the body of the former commander to the control room. I wish to speak to the other ships’ commanders, but I don’t want them contacted until I get there. Commander Mdorin, remain here for a moment and then accompany me to my command post."  
It was then that he realized the sword was still in his hand, Kalingdor’s dark red blood drying on the blade. Without cleaning it, John simply slid it back in its sheath and turned to Maureen.


	18. Taking Command

Chapter Eighteen - Taking Command

"Mo," he said simply. The tears were coursing down her cheeks as she threw herself in his arms. "I told you I would be fine," he said soothingly. Penny and Will joined her. He held his wife and children in a fierce hug for a few minutes savoring their proximity, grateful to God for allowing it to happen.  
"Oh, John, I was so scared," she said, her head resting against his chest. He kept his thoughts to himself, not wanting to spoil her joy.  
"I have a feeling that being a Lord Commander isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I’ll probably be very busy for awhile, but I’ll be back down as soon and as often as I can," he said softly, holding his wife tight to his chest. "Right now, Judy needs you. Go to her." Turning to Mdorin, he motioned for his subordinate to lead him to the control room. Silverado sat on his shoulder, squeaking loudly in triumph.  
When they arrived, John walked around the control room studying the various stations intently, as well as the minds of the Graxod who worked them. Massaging his temples with his fingertips, he found it increasingly hard to concentrate on the image that Silverado was showing him. He felt as though his brain was overloading.  
Sitting down in the Lord Commander’s chair, he began giving orders. "Contact the commander of the ‘Harbinger of Death.’" The communications officer glanced around at him in awe. "Just do it." The Graxod did it.  
John greeted the surprised commander of the other craft. "Commander Lingron, I presume?"  
"Yes, and can I assume that you defeated Lord Commander Kalingdor?" Lingron asked, his voice betraying none of the emotion that he was obviously feeling.  
"Yes, I did. Do you have any dispute with my newly acquired rank?" John asked him pointedly. "If you do, please examine the state of your former Lord Commander." John pointed in the direction of Kalingdor’s body. "Mdorin, bring me the device that he tried to use on me."  
Holding his hand out as though impatient, he waited for Mdorin to put the tiny weapon in his hand. John felt its coldness with a hint of revulsion, thinking of the obscenity of something so little being able to cause so much damage. Showing it to Lingron, he said, "Commander, this is the trick that Kalingdor tried to use on me. He made the mistake of underestimating his opponent," John said and then leaned toward the communication screen. "He made the mistake of underestimating humans. Do you accept my position as Lord Commander of the flagship ‘Conquest’? Or do you wish to test my blade as Commander Kalingdor did?" The professor sincerely hoped the Graxod commander bought his bluff because he wasn’t sure that he could fight another womgrantiod anytime soon.  
Lingron bowed slightly at the waist. "I accept your position, Lord Commander..." The alien stopped in confusion.  
"I am John Robinson."  
"Yes, Lord Commander John Robinson, I accept your new rank. What orders do you have for me?"  
"Simply hold your position and stand by for further orders," John told him. He signaled for termination of that transmission.  
"Call the Jupiter II and have someone bring me up some coffee and lunch," he ordered the communications officer. "Also ask them to send up Dr. Barlow as soon as he is available. When you have done that, contact the ‘Disruptor’ for me."  
Soon John was gazing at a very dour looking Graxod. "Commander Praxon, I presume?"  
"A human on the control deck? Travesty! Abomination!" Praxon ranted. His cartilaginous nose flaps blew in and out in his agitation.  
"Mdorin, show him the commander’s body." The sub-commander did so, but Praxon didn’t even blink.  
"Kalingdor was a fool to fight vermin. You smash vermin under your heel. I will not talk to an alien who dares to presume to command one of our glorious vessels," Praxon stormed and then abruptly closed the communication.  
Massaging his temples again, John was pondering his options with the bellicose Graxod, when sudden insight made him gasp. "Mdorin, does the ‘Disruptor’ have the capability to destroy this ship?"  
"Yes, Lord Commander."  
"Praxon is powering up his weapons! Helmsman, check out his readings now!" John rushed over to the weaponry controls and using what he had seen in the mind of the gunnery officer, armed the aft torpedoes. The gunnery officer finished the task of loading the coordinates. "I will not order you to fire on your own people." And John punched the button that simultaneously fired four torpedoes. "Quick, warn the ‘Harbinger of Death,’ and prepare for debris!"  
The communications officer had just passed along the warning when the aft view screen showed a great blossoming of sparkling white light that lit the control room. John groaned softly and held his head. He had fleetingly felt the death throes of two hundred beings and could only be thankful for its briefness.  
"Lord Commander, are you all right?" Mdorin asked.  
John nodded, quickly gaining control. "Needless death, Mdorin, totally needless."  
The helmsman turned to him. "My Lord, the sensors did indeed show the imminent firing of several laser cannons."  
John simply nodded. "I want communications opened with Earth," was his next command. After turning off his translator and entering secret defense codes, John was soon rewarded by a visual of Ben Mitchell. "So they busted you and made you man the communication center, huh?" he asked his friend with a smile.  
"John, you’re a sight for sore eyes. When I heard what was going on, I booted Maxwell out. You can’t imagine the tension here. I’m so thankful that you and your family are all right," he said fervently and then peered closely at the video screen. "Who’s your little friend?"  
"Meet Silverado, my secret weapon. The Graxod commander was sneaky and devious, but the flutter-dragon pulled my fat out of the fire," John said. Again he was finding it hard to concentrate and Ben’s face wavered in his mind’s eye.  
"Ben, let me give you a report. I’m so tired that I’m about to fall asleep sitting here," he said wearily. Ben nodded. "I fought a battle for ascendancy, and I am now Lord Commander of the Graxod flagship as well as one of the other ships in the fleet. The third one didn’t accept my new rank, and I had to destroy the ship before it destroyed us. Major Don West was mortally wounded and is in cryogenics until we can get him proper medical attention. If any military personnel wish to come aboard either ship, I must clear their entry and they cannot interfere with the normal operations of these ships. I believe that my responsibility now includes over five hundred Graxod, some of whom may not be terribly happy with their new Lord Commander. As soon as possible, I am taking what’s left of the Graxod fleet and returning these men to their home. Then I will return to Earth and make a full and detailed report."  
"Wow, you’re taking a mighty big risk, John. The military heads of twenty countries as well as Alpha Control are going to have fits when they hear about your plan to take the invaders back to their planet, but I’ll pass that message along. Enjoy your nap, you look like you deserve it," Ben said. "I’ll tell your folks that you’re all right as well."  
"Ben, I don’t care if there are thirty court martial boards waiting to convene on me when I get back. The one thing I’ve learned while we were lost out in the galaxy for four years is that no matter what shape or size aliens are, they’re still people, and there is no way that I’m going to turn five hundred men over to our military and scientific community. I’m going to take these men back to their families and then decide what to do next," John said tersely.  
"Hey, no argument from me, John," Ben told him meaningfully. "And the media had shots of that little fireworks display in the asteroid belt, plus there were leaks of a confrontation between you and the Graxod leaders. It was pretty nerve-wracking on Earth for several hours. People here have a vague idea of what you have done, and there is no military leader stupid enough to even suggest sending you up for a court martial. In fact, I was only waiting to hear from you before handing out a press release."  
"Thanks for running interference for me, Ben. I’m going to be too busy here to worry about anything going on back there," John said gratefully and signaled for the transmission to be terminated.  
Turning his translator back on, he said, "Mdorin, if there is no taboo against it, I’m going to lean back and rest a bit." Silverado curled up on his shoulder and was soon asleep. But sleep wouldn’t come to him. It was bad enough that he, a man who detested military protocol, was now the supreme commander of over five hundred military men. Compounded with that was the fact that he was trying to maintain a charade of visual awareness to everyone including his own wife. He hoped the trip to Graxod was a short one. Deceiving Maureen bothered him the most.  
"Mdorin?" he asked, listening carefully for the subordinate’s footsteps.  
"Yes, my Lord."  
"Please inform me of points of protocol that I need to know in order to keep civility on these ships until I can return these men to Graxod." Listening carefully, John was grateful that he didn’t have to also concentrate on holding a telepathic link with the lizard. He relaxed as his second in command related important points of decorum to him.

________________________________________

"Mother, when will we be taking the Jupiter II to Urgorrim?" Judy asked, lightly touching the cryogenics chamber that held her husband in stasis.  
"As soon as this is resolved, dear." Maureen pulled her distraught daughter to her and held her close. "Trust your father. You know that as soon as he can, we’ll go directly to see Rrangruk."  
"I do trust Dad, but I just want Don well again and with me. I’m already so lonely," she said, tears forming again in her eyes. Judy felt that she had used up all of her tears, but she was wrong. Aurora sat on her shoulder and crooned. Jimmy launched himself from the top of the cryogenics chamber and flew over to Scott, who had been working the communications station.  
"Maureen, I just got a call from John. He was asking for some coffee and something to snack on, so everything must be going all right up there," he assured her with a smile. "I can take it up, but I’m not real familiar with your galley. Think Penny could help me out?"  
"Yes, she can. And please, Scott, give John my love when you go up there," she said, still comforting her daughter. "Tell him that Don is safely in cryogenics." A slight tremor shook the ship briefly. "What was that?  
"I don’t know, but I’ll ask him."  
In the galley, the doctor fixed a large mug of coffee while Penny pulled out something from the replicator that she knew her dad would like to snack on. As she programmed the machine, tears began to form, threatening to spill down her cheeks. She swiped one arm across her face.  
"Penny, what’s upsetting you?" Scott asked.  
"I felt the death of a great many people just now. That’s one reason that I’m upset. The other reason is that I think Dad was hurt worse than he lets on," she said bluntly.  
"Maybe that’s why he asked me to come up and see him," Scott told her. "But whatever thoughts you have on the matter, you might want to keep them to yourself until I come back."  
"I will, Scott, and thanks. Tell Dad that I love him and I’m proud of what he did for us," she said with a slight smile. Right now, besides worrying about her father, the other thought in her head was why in the world had she thought that she had feelings for the doctor? Josh had been so sweet with her during this whole invasion mess. Turning back to the replicator, Penny started to prepare the evening meal, assuming that her mother would be with Judy for a while longer. Fixing dinner also gave her a chance to sort out her confused feelings.  
Scott took the desired items, and with a Graxod to guide him, soon found the control room. Not surprisingly, he found John resting in the command chair. Don West’s flutter-dragon had accompanied him, but as soon as he reached his destination, the little lizard launched himself into the air and landed on John’s shoulder. He squeaked at Silverado and John’s lizard flew out of the control room. The doctor was a bit astonished at the switch the creatures had made.  
"Lord Commander, one of your human companions has brought what you ordered," his guide saluted John and then left the bridge. Turning to him, the new Lord Commander blinked sleepily and smiled.  
"I’ll take the drink first and then the food," he said as he held out his hand and took the proffered mug of coffee. "Mdorin, is there a conference room nearby?"  
"Yes, my Lord," the Graxod told him, pointing to a room adjacent to the control room. "It also contains a reclining chair which is used by the Lord Commander during lulls in action."  
As John slid out of the chair, he realized just how much the womgrantiod had taken out of him. Although unscathed by Kalingdor’s sword, the exertion and falls to the decking made his muscles ache. He walked stiffly to the side room, motioning for Scott to follow. Jimmy provided every bit as detailed visuals of his surrounding as did Silverado, and he was grateful for the cooperative efforts of the lizards.  
Scott pushed a button, which closed the door and then he turned to John, who had found the chair Mdorin had told him of.  
"Scott, I believe that I’m going to need something to help me stay awake. It’s going to take approximately five days to get back to the Graxod system. I’m not sure how much power I have over these Graxod, but I don’t think that sleeping most of the way to their planet is going to be a good idea."  
"Maybe you can delegate authority, John," Scott suggested.  
"Wonderful idea, if I knew that the entire crew of both ships was loyal to their human Lord Commander. I can count on one hand the number of Graxod I can trust right now." John sighed and sipped from the mug.


	19. Journey to a Dangerous Planet

John relaxed in the chair, giving Jimmy a silent command to relax as well. The velvet darkness settled over him, and his headache subsided slightly.  
"Well, first things first. Let me check you over. Penny seems to think that you were hurt worse than you let on," Scott said. "And your family sends their love. They’re very proud of what you did."  
"Thanks, but there’s no need to check me over, Scott. Penny’s right, but it’s a charade that must be maintained. I have a sneaking hunch that if the Graxod sub-commanders knew that their Lord Commander was blind, they would all be clamoring for womgrantiods."  
Scott sighed. "Then that little device did do permanent damage? What was it?"  
"Some form of a disruptor. A very selective one, it would seem." John could hear Scott using his diagnostic and then cursing softly.  
"Yeah, it certainly was selective; destroyed the optic nerve and nothing else. But how....?" Then the doctor’s quick intake of breath declared his understanding, "The lizards! They’re telepathic."  
"Yes, and they are gracious enough to take turns helping me." John paused and then began to chuckle.  
"Care to let me in on your joke?" Scott asked, puzzled.   
"Sure. I was just thinking that most people have seeing eye dogs, I have seeing eye lizards," John explained with a smile, then he sobered. "But I need something for a headache as well as something to keep me awake. Concentrating on holding a telepathic link seems to have brought one on." Looking toward Scott, John asked, "How is Don?"  
"He’s safely in a cryogenic chamber, John. I just don’t know how I’m going to save him when he’s brought back."  
"When all of this is over, I’m going back to Urgorrim. They have the technology for regeneration."  
"Regeneration?" Scott whistled at the thought. "Incredible, John. And you should be able to benefit from that as well."  
"I didn’t really think about it, but I suppose so."  
"By the way, John, what was the tremor we felt? Did something blow up?" Scott asked.  
John paused so long that Scott wondered if he had dozed off. Finally, "The tremor you felt was the third Graxod ship exploding. I had to destroy it when the commander found out a human was in command and tried to blow us up," John murmured, and the doctor heard the pain in his voice. "Scott, don’t tell Maureen what you’ve found out about my condition. I just don’t feel that now is the time to throw this at her."  
"Sure, John, I understand. And I must say, that you’re hiding it rather well."  
A chime interrupted the two men.  
"Lord Commander, there is a call from Earth. A group of humans wishes to come aboard. We are awaiting your orders," Mdorin informed him over the intercom.  
"Time to get back to work," John said dourly, drinking the last of the coffee and heading back into the control room. The corned beef sandwich lay untouched on the conference room table.  
Six hours later, John met the party of humans from Earth in the shuttle bay. They were members of the space corps, headed by a very disgruntled Colonel Jim Patterson. A small group of scientists and diplomats was with them. Mdorin stood at John’s side.  
"Colonel Robinson, I don’t understand all this. It looks very much like business as usual. Shouldn’t these people be under guard? And shouldn’t you be preparing to turn them over to the armed forces of Alpha Control?"  
"It isn’t business as usual, Colonel. They have a human as their Lord Commander. But because I have earned the right to be their commander, they will follow my orders to a certain point. If everyone acts with dignity and decorum, there will be no problems. And I am not turning them over to Alpha Control, I am taking these men to their homes, at which time I will make a decision regarding these ships."  
Patterson gaped at him in abject surprise. "Take them back? You’re not serious?"  
"I am very serious." John unsheathed his plantiod-crinth. Kalingdor’s blood had dried on the blade and left a dark red, almost black stain. "Right now this has determined my right to lead on this ship. We are not on Earth and at this moment the rules are a bit different. If you do not wish to follow my orders, Colonel, then you can take your shuttle and return to Earth. That goes for any other human in this company as well."  
"Very well, Commander Robinson," the colonel said after a slight pause.  
John turned to the two dozen humans assembled in the shuttle bay. "Gentlemen, I am Lord Commander Robinson. I have earned the right to be the fleet commander of these two ships. Therefore, you will follow my instructions and we should be able to make our journey to Graxod in safety." He paused before continuing. "Any fraternization with the Graxod will be done civilly and without incident. I have been told that there are quarters and a mess hall, which can be utilized by the human members of the crew. If any members of this ship’s complement fight or incite an incident with other members, human or Graxod, they will be put in the brig for the duration of the trip. There will be no exceptions." He started to turn away.  
"John," a familiar voice called out to him from the scientific contingent.  
John frowned in concentration and then smiled as he recognized Jerry Crenshaw peering around a burly Marine sergeant. "Jerry," he said happily. "Are you here to figure out this ship in the five days it’s going to take to jump to Graxod?" Striding over to the physicist, he gave him a hearty bear hug, happy to see at least one familiar face in the crowd.  
"As a matter of fact, yes. Professional curiosity. Perhaps I can get a tour of the bridge sometime. That is, if it isn’t taboo," he asked, peering intently at the golden lizard on John’s shoulder.  
Quickly explaining where the creature came from, he assured the scientist of a tour of the entire ship. "I need to go and see my family, Jerry."  
The scientist nodded and John went into the homey refuge of the Jupiter II where he greeted his family, took a quick shower and changed into another flight suit. Although less comfortable than his regular outfits, it definitely looked more impressive, and that seemed to be important to the Graxod. Stopping on the observation deck, John looked at Don in frosty repose in the cryogenics chamber and then turned to the robot. "What are the readings, Robot?"  
"The cryogenics are working perfectly, Professor Robinson," the Robot intoned. Somehow, John felt a bit of comfort being called professor again. Maureen joined him and he grabbed her in a fierce hug, followed by a fervent kiss.  
"Umm, John. If that’s the reward for being a Lord Commander’s wife, you can be one forever," she murmured.  
"Oh, no, I am transferring out of this . . . um, outfit as soon as I can. And you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, woman of mine. Just wait until this is all over," he laughed. "But right now I have to get back to the control room and ready the ships for the hyper-jump to Graxod. I hate to do this to you, but you will have to stay on board the Jupiter II. There’s some kind of taboo against women on Graxod battle ships."

________________________________________

Will found boredom setting in. Judy was moody, Mom was trying to help Judy feel better, Josh was enamored with Penny, Penny was confused, and Josh’s mom was irritated by her forced stay on the Jupiter II. Scott spent most of his time with Dad, or at the communications console, so on the second day after Dad’s defeat of Kalingdor, he decided to explore the ‘Conquest’ with the Robot. Nova had disappeared, presumably into the arboretum, although Will didn’t remember the flutter-dragon staying away quite so long before.  
"Will, you be careful. I don’t trust some of these soldiers, human and Graxod," his mother admonished.  
"I’m taking the Robot, Mom," he said. "I’ll be careful."  
Will was astonished at the size and complexity of the vessel. "Robot, make sure you can get us back to the Jupiter II."  
"Affirmative, Will Robinson. My memory banks will easily hold that information."  
As they came around a corner, the pair almost ran into a contingent of Graxod warriors. The two parties stared at one another. "What are you doing in this part of the ship, human?" one of the aliens asked disdainfully.  
"I was just exploring, sir. Am I in a place that I shouldn’t be?" Will asked.  
"Yes," the Graxod said sibilantly. "You are on a Graxod ship. And just because we have human filth for a lord commander does not mean that we like it."  
Will stared coldly into the eyes of the speaker. "Don’t talk about my dad that way. He beat your commander fair and square, even though your leader cheated."  
The speaker and his friends looked at one another in consternation. "You are the Lord Commander’s son?"  
"Yes, I am," Will answered, pride evident in his voice.  
"Bringol, let us go, before this gets to the Lord Commander," another said.  
"No," Bringol said, pulling a long thin knife from a sheath under his arm.  
"You will not harm the boy," the Robot said evenly.  
Several of the Graxod continued to advance on Will, who retreated a step in fear. Another Graxod reached for the intercom and called the control room.  
"Warning! I order you to stop, or I will have to use force," the Robot exclaimed. The warning was ignored. A Graxod in the back of the crowd grabbed one of the attackers and slammed him into the bulkhead, rendering him unconscious.  
As two Graxod rushed Will, the Robot thrust his pincer hands out, and bright bursts of electrical energy flowed from them to the attackers. With a scream, the aliens slumped unconscious to the deck. Several of the undecided Graxod backed up and stared at the Robot in astonishment. Then his dad rushed down from another corridor and surveyed the situation. The conscious Graxod backed up out of deference.  
"Will, are you all right?" he asked, grasping his son by the shoulders, and checking him over.  
"Sure, Dad. The Robot and some of your warriors protected me," Will said.  
"I thank you all," his dad said fervently. He pointed to the unconscious Graxod, "Take these men and put them in the brig." The remaining Graxod bowed and quickly complied.  
"Will, feelings are still raw. I don’t want you wandering these corridors, unless you have a Graxod I can trust to accompany you," he said. "Do you understand?"  
"Yes, Dad." Will looked up and was astonished to see Nova sitting on Dad’s shoulder. The flutter-dragon squeaked brightly, but remained where he was. "So that’s where Nova’s been. Do you want me to take him back to the Jupiter II with me?"  
"No, Will, he’ll come back when he’s ready. Why don’t I accompany you back to the ship, so I can say hi to everyone. I need to shower and change anyway." The visit was all too brief. Will noticed that when his dad left their space ship, he had Penny’s lizard Edmund on his shoulder. Musing, he also noticed that his father had an unfocused, distant look in his eyes, but he attributed that to the strain he was under.

________________________________________

The confrontation between Will and the Graxod crewmen was not an isolated incident. For three days, the Lord Commander had been kept busy with many such incidents, among humans as well as Graxod. The brig was utilized, which served to deter all but the most hotheaded crewman.  
And for three days, John managed to get by with short naps and a great deal of coffee in the commander’s room, but by the beginning of the fourth day, a deep exhaustion began to steal over him. Scott finally acquiesced and gave him something to hold off sleep for a while longer.  
"The tricky time is coming up in a day and a half," John told him. "That’s when we make our entrance into the Graxod system. I’ve been told there’s a training facility on the outermost planet in the system. We’re going to send these men there before we return home."  
"John, I don’t think you’ll last that long," Scott fussed. "You need to have a decent meal and a very long sleep." John’s answering laugh lacked any humor.  
A sub-commander called him over the intercom. "Sir, Commander Lingron is on the communications link. He says that several crewman tried to set an explosive to destroy his and our ships."  
"A long nap, huh, Scott? It will happen when we get there. It’s a wonder there hasn’t been mass insurrection, which goes to tell you the training these men have received." John stiffly made his way to the control room to confront the commander of the sister ship.  
Scott’s prediction turned out to be correct. When the transition to normal space was made, John was barely able to focus on what the lizards were showing him. He knew the flutter-dragons were tired as well, which made it doubly hard. His head pounded and thoughts swam in and out like fish in a reef. But they had made it to the Graxod system and for that he was grateful. Soon he would be able to rest, really rest.  
A warning klaxon sounded in the control room, causing him to start. "Mdorin, what in the world is that?" he asked, wondering if one of the communications officers had figured out a way to get word to Graxod. A Graxod fleet waiting for them would be disastrous.


	20. Finally, Rest

"There are alien ships in the system and one of them is hailing us, my Lord," his second in command told him.  
"Put it on the screen."  
"This is Mril mur Prowlith Aorcorlin of the Confederation ship, ‘Clawed Deliverer.’ I wish to speak to......" she paused as she looked into the weary countenance of the Lord Commander. He looked drawn and haggard, nothing at all like the self-confident man who had been in her office mere days ago.   
"John Robinson? Is that you?"  
"Yes, Ms Prowlith, it is."  
"Thank the deities," she almost purred. "And may I assume that you have the privilege of being the Lord Commander?"  
"No," he said with a wan smile. "I have the curse of being the Lord Commander. It has been a difficult journey and I’m ready for it to end."  
"How many prisoners do you have?" Prowlith asked.  
"A few in the brig, including some humans. But out of respect to the position of Lord Commander and not necessarily to myself, most of the crewman have not caused any trouble, and I have had no need to imprison them."  
"You must tell me how this all came about," she said with a slight purring laugh.  
"First let me get these men off the ship," John said. Prowlith nodded and John terminated the transmission. Turning to Mdorin, he said, "Oversee the loading of the shuttles on the ‘Conquest.’ Give instructions to Commander Lingron to do the same on the ‘Harbinger of Death.’"  
A few hours later John made his way to the conference room. Dimming the lights, he reclined in the commander’s chair and tried to relax. Despite the fact that transfer of the Graxod was going smoothly, he was unable to unwind. "My Lord, may I enter?" Mdorin asked over the intercom.  
"Yes, Mdorin," he responded. Susan was asleep on his lap, and John didn’t bother to rouse her. All of the Graxod would be gone soon, and then there would be no need to keep up pretenses.  
"My Lord, I have a request." Mdorin noted the dimness of the room, but chose to ignore it.  
"What is it?"  
"I wish to remain with you until you are ready to return to your own planet. I wish to be of assistance. I had heard that the Confederation requested you at a hearing later today, and Lord Commander, you will need my help," the Graxod said softly.  
"I have my family, Mdorin," John pointed out.  
"But you are the Lord Commander and you need your second in command at your side. It is my sacred duty to protect you, my Lord." Mdorin abruptly stopped as though embarrassed by his disclosure.  
John remembered the Graxod protocol and realized that Mdorin was right. Then he pondered what was behind his sub-commander’s words as well as some of his thoughts. "What are you not telling me, Mdorin?"  
"My Lord, I know of your injury."  
"How long, Mdorin, and why didn’t you declare the womgrantiod? It would have been your right," John pointed out bluntly.  
"I suspected from the beginning, and the thought did occur to me to challenge you, but, my Lord, I saw someone who did not treat my fellow Graxod as conquered people, but as beings deserving respect. You could have turned us all over to your human leaders, but you chose instead to take a chance and bring us home. I chose to be loyal, rather than to be ambitious. I knew for a certainty of your injury for the last two days. In your weariness, you made mistakes," the Graxod said.  
"And you covered for me," John said thoughtfully. The translator had trouble with that phrase.  
"You can discontinue the use of the translator, my Lord. I have been listening and learning and I think I can communicate without one," Mdorin said. John reached down and unclipped his translator. "Yes, my Lord, I tried to hide your mistakes. No one challenged you."  
John chuckled. "No, they didn’t. Thank you, Mdorin. I would consider it an honor. Let’s go into the control room so I can bid farewell to the rest of the bridge crew. They, too, have been loyal."  
When the last Graxod had left the room, John laid his head on the communications console and rested. He sent Susan back to the Jupiter II. The flutter-dragon squeaked sleepily and flew out of the room. At first the complete velvety darkness had caused upsurges of anxiety, but now it was welcome, as was the comparative silence of the large room that had been his home for much of the past six days.  
"My Lord, I will return shortly as soon as the last of my people have disembarked, and I will help you to your little ship. To your family," Mdorin assured him.  
"I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere," he murmured and drifted into a restless and nightmare laden sleep.

________________________________________

Maureen was standing at the sink when a sudden and horrible depression hit her. It was a blackness beyond anything she had ever felt before. The past six days had seemed an eternity, with only slight moments with John. It had been hard knowing that she couldn’t see him because of some silly taboo, but she had accepted that. It would be only a matter of time before this duty was ended and he would be with her again.  
Right now, though, this awful, soul-wrenching despair overcame any wisdom that she had imparted to herself these past few days, and Maureen Robinson started crying. Her tears flowed down her cheeks, and she was unable to control them for several minutes. Maggie sat on the edge of the sink and watched her, only crooning softly, staring at her with her large golden eyes. Maureen kept thinking about John and the horrible position that had been forced on him. No, she told herself, he could have turned it all over to the generals on Earth as soon as the womgrantiod was over. Right now, she wished he had, but that wasn’t John’s way.  
Smiling, Maureen kept that thought in front of the other, more depressing thoughts. Hearing footsteps, she quickly dried her eyes and pretended to be busy at the sink.  
"Maureen, are you okay?" Esther asked, starting over to her.  
Maureen nodded and said hastily, "Yes, Esther, I’m fine....” Then she paused. “No, I’m not. I have this awful, horrible feeling, and I think that John needs me."  
"Then let’s go find him," Esther said quietly. Maureen contemplated the closeness that the two women had developed in the days following her tongue-lashing of the colonel. They had discussed much, and she felt that she knew a great deal about Esther and the way she thought. Going to the observation window, they saw Graxod loading shuttles. Maureen sighed and turned away. Even Scott was busy helping with the disembarkation of the Graxod, so she couldn’t enlist his help.  
"I’ve got an idea, Maureen," Esther said and sat down at the communications console. In a minute she turned back to her friend. "Good news, we’ll soon be able to leave the ship."  
Maureen looked confused until a short time later a young space corps marine came on board with two uniforms. "They are a bit larger than the sizes requested, Colonel, but they should suffice," the young man said with a slight smile. Esther nodded and the two women went down to their living quarters.  
Esther donned a desert-tan uniform acquired from the marine and admired the fit. "Yes," she murmured. "I still look good in a uniform." Tucking her already short hair under the cap, she found Maureen. Almost six days was a long time for an impatient person like herself to sit around and wait like a ‘good wife.’ The colonel felt they could have been of invaluable service to John, but that taboo against women on Graxod combat ships was one that the Lord Commander chose not to dispute. Deep down, Esther agreed with John’s reasoning. He wasn’t here to do more than get these men back home, and he certainly wasn’t trying to change Graxod society. But it still chafed on her independent spirit.  
No one stopped them; indeed there was almost no one in the corridors to stop them. The ship was like a tomb. As they entered the control room, the first thing that struck her was the silence. Then Esther noticed that the lights were dimmed. Letting her eyes adjust to the semi-darkness, she then saw a figure by one of the control panels, apparently asleep. Approaching, she realized that it was John.  
Apparently, Maureen did too and ran to his side. He was mumbling in his sleep and when she touched his shoulder, he jerked up and looked around wildly as though he didn’t recognize where he was.  
"John, it’s me, Maureen," she said quickly to reassure him. Calming down, he looked toward her. "I couldn’t stand it anymore and came up here. I made sure I disguised my femininity, though," she added with a laugh. He didn’t seem to catch her joke. And suddenly Maureen knew what he had hidden from her since the womgrantiod, and her breath caught in her throat, horrified at what had happened to him and proud at what he had accomplished.  
"Maureen, you came here for me?" he asked wearily, rubbing his temples. He moaned. "Oh, man, the nightmares. I wish I could get rid of the nightmares."  
"Of course, I came," she said, trying desperately to hide the anguish from her voice. "What nightmares, John?"  
"The nightmares about the four torpedoes that blew two hundred beings into oblivion. I hit the switch and I felt the death throes," John said bitterly, his voice almost a whisper. "And don’t tell me it was justified. My Graxod crew told me it was justified, but that doesn’t change the fact that I destroyed that many sentient beings."  
Esther sighed. "John, I was with the ground troops that used surface missiles in Iraq. I pushed the button on many of those missiles. I saw what my weapons did. As hard as we tried, there were still innocent men, women and children who died. We tried to avoid them, but Saddam used those poor souls as shields. I still curse him and occasionally have nightmares about it, but it gets easier to handle with time, rest and family. It will for you as well."  
"Thanks, Esther,” he said. “Maureen, let’s go home.” Getting up slowly, stiffly, he reached his hand out for his wife, realizing that she knew of his deception. He felt her sure grip, and he drew her to him in a fierce embrace, before turning back to Esther.  
Esther stood gaping. "John, I can’t believe that I was ever stupid enough to think that you were weak and vacillating," she said in a small voice.  
"Much of the time my actions are reactionary, Esther. I’m not one of the generals you admire. I just respond to the situation because it’s dumped on me."  
"I’ll add you to my list, anyway," Esther told him.  
He smiled wanly. "Thanks. I would like you to take command of this ship, Colonel, as soon as Commander Mdorin disembarks. I think it is his right to do command for the short time he will be on board. Also, tell Col. Patterson that he can shuttle Jerry Crenshaw and a few technicians over to the ‘Harbinger of Death’ and take command of her. And tell the Confederation leaders that I will be indisposed until tomorrow."  
"Thank you, John. I’ll do my best. You get some sleep."  
It quickly became apparent to Maureen that they needed to get to the Jupiter II fairly soon. John began leaning heavily on her, and she could tell that his strength was almost gone. Too much caffeine, anti-sleep medications, too little sleep, and way too much stress, along with the combat-like situations had done her husband in. She berated herself for not seeing it sooner.  
The access ramp to the cargo bay was down and she guided him up. Then Maureen stopped and took a moment to catch her breath. While John had no spare weight on him, he was still a big man, and this was telling on her.  
"The arboretum. Let me rest there. The grass will feel good after almost six days of that control room," he said. "The air is already making me feel better." He straightened up and they made their way to the lizard habitat. Most of the flutter-dragons were perched in the limbs. They opened their eyes sleepily, chirped at them and then went back to sleep. John sat down with his back against a small tree and sighed. "Thanks, Mo." A few minutes later, it became apparent that he had fallen asleep.  
Quietly, Maureen went upstairs to let the children know what was going on, get a communicator and something for John to eat and drink. "I will let you know if we need anything, but for right now the cargo bay is off limits," she explained. They nodded.

________________________________________

"I assume that you are looking for the Lord Commander?" Esther asked Mdorin when he returned to the control room.  
He looked askance at her and then answered. "Yes, I am."  
"He’s on the Jupiter II with his wife. It will probably be at least a day before he can see anyone. He’s exhausted, Commander," Esther told him. Mdorin nodded, looking uncomfortable. "Does it bother you to be dealing with a female?" she asked him.  
"Yes, but I know that among humans, the roles of males and females are more equal, so I consider that and try not to let it bother me," he stated. "I would assume that you are one of the crew of the little ship."  
"Yes, but at the present you are in temporary command of the ‘Conquest’ by request of the Lord Commander. He asked me to take command when you disembark. So I will need your help to get used to the workings of this vessel," Esther said and was amused to note the Graxod’s attempt to hide his astonishment.  
Mdorin bowed. "I will try my best to ignore my upbringing and serve the Lord Commander with you, until he can return to duty."  
"Thank you, Commander Mdorin. I appreciate your support."


	21. The Lord Commander Retires

Maureen sat next to her husband and lightly brushed the unruly hair off his forehead. He moaned and stirred in his sleep, and she took the opportunity to sit closer to him, allowing his head to rest on her leg. It was so good to have him back, but he had been through so much. The tears trickled down her cheeks. She leaned over and kissed him.  
"Maureen?" he murmured. He reached up with one hand and touched her face, softly caressing her chin. His fingers lightly traced the line of her lips, and then moved across her cheek, where he felt the tears. "Maureen, I’m fine, just so tired." As though he couldn’t get enough, his fingers delicately followed the contours of her face and played with her hair. She giggled slightly as his fingertips tickled her ear.  
Then Maureen took his hand and held it tightly. "Oh, John, these are tears of joy. I’m so happy that you’re done with this Lord Commander business. I’m so glad you’re home." He chuckled and brought her hands down to his face, where he kissed her hands and nibbled on her knuckles.  
"Forgive me for deceiving you," he whispered between kisses. "I just didn’t want you to worry."  
"Of course, John, I understand. I’m just so sorry."  
"Yes. Sorry." His voice suddenly became melancholy. "I killed over two hundred sentient beings, Mo. I still feel their dying moment. How does one forgive that?" He sat up suddenly and began rubbing the side of his head. It almost seemed habitual now.  
Maureen massaged his shoulders. "You forgive that by realizing that you tried your very best to avoid it. You forgive that by realizing that you saved over eight billion sentient beings, including your own family. You forgive that by realizing that the Graxod made choices as well. Choices that you had to act upon. Oh, John, I am so proud of you and the sacrifice you made for us. I love you so very much." She put her arms around him and drew him to her in a tight embrace. "John Robinson, I love you."  
His head rested on her chest and soon his hands lay limp by his side. After a few minutes, all she could feel was the deep, steady ebb and flow of his breathing as he fell into a peaceful, rejuvenating sleep.

________________________________________

Judy seemed impatient as Scott examined her. Even though he still had deep feelings for Judy West, he had learned to control them. He had also avoided her as much as possible, only being in close proximity to her during exams. Since Maureen was taking care of John, he had recruited Esther as his exam ‘nurse’ for this check up.  
"This is a good news, bad news scenario, Judy," he said with a slight laugh. Judy just stared glumly at him. "That was supposed to be a joke," he added.  
"Okay, what’s the good news?" she said, humoring him.  
"The baby is not ready to come yet. You have at least a couple of weeks to your due date, and by the looks of things, this baby may be overdue. Most first babies are," he said with a smile. Scott was happy to note a slight smile. He knew that she was in that miserable time of pre-natal life when most women wished they could just get it over with, but he also knew that she had her heart set on Don being present at the birth.  
"What’s the bad news?" she asked, a little more enthusiastically.  
"I believe that you’re right. This will be a big boy. Hard to pinpoint exactly how big, but I believe that he’s close to seven or eight pounds right now." Scott chuckled at her look of disbelief. "But, Judy, he’s healthy. Very healthy and so are you."  
He held onto her arm as she sat up. "Thanks, Scott. I appreciate your help. I just wish that this whole thing was over, so we could go to Urgorrim. So I could have Don back."  
"I know," he said softly. "Don is one lucky man to have someone like you."  
"And I’m lucky to have him, Scott," she said fervently. Then looking directly into his eyes, she added, "Someday, you will find someone who’s as good to you as Don is to me." She gave a quick kiss on his cheek and walked out, leaving Scott staring in astonishment.  
"I would say, Scott, that the patient knows what the doctor is thinking," Esther said knowingly. "And she’s right. You’re too nice a man to not have someone special just for you."  
Scott blushed. "The problem with a telepathic society is that there are no secrets."  
"Telepathy, schmelepathy. You’ve been an open book. I think the last one that realized it was Judy herself." She paused and chuckled. "Except my son, who is enamored with Penny. Who incidentally had a crush on you until my boy came along."  
"Me?" Scott asked. Esther nodded. "Good heavens, I really know how to stir the pot. It’s a wonder that Don or John either one didn’t pop me."  
Esther just laughed. "It’s because you don’t have a mean or devious bone in your body, Scott. I definitely want you for my doctor if I decide to make space a full time vocation. I’m returning to the control room, now. I have a ship to run."

________________________________________

Penny’s flutter-dragons were putting on a show in the galley for Josh. The young man was continually amazed at the agility of the little creatures. They swooped and danced in the tight quarters with great grace and skill, never hitting anything, including each other.  
"They seem to have recovered their strength after helping your dad," he remarked. Lucy broke formation and flew over to Penny, hovering in front of her face.  
"Dad just woke up and is hungry. I need to take something down." Just then her mother’s voice came over the intercom, giving the same request. Josh just gaped.  
"I think all the flutter-dragons have formed a bond with Dad since helping him so much these past five days." Penny gathered up some soup, bread sticks and a thermos of water.  
"Do you think your parents would mind if I came with you? You do have a bit of an armful," Josh offered.  
"I can’t imagine why they would," she said, handing the tray to Josh.  
In the arboretum, Penny handed the thermos to her mother and gave her dad a hug. Leaving the tray, the two teenagers left quietly and returned to the galley.  
"You know, it’s really cool how much your mom and dad love each other," Josh said softly. "My mom and dad have been divorced for ten years. They aren’t even decent friends."  
"I’m sorry, Scott. I guess I just take Mom and Dad for granted, not realizing that everyone’s parents aren’t like that." She turned to Josh and realized that he had leaned very close to her. Before she knew what had happened, he kissed her quickly on the lips. "Oh," was all she could say. And then, "Why did you do that?" Immediately, Penny felt stupid for asking.  
"I don’t know. I suppose it’s because I really like you a lot and wanted to tell you some other way instead of just with words," Josh said with a smile. "You didn’t mind did you?"  
Penny just blushed some more, and shook her head. She really didn’t. "Josh, I like you a lot, too." Josh leaned over and kissed her again. This time it was a slightly longer kiss.  
Then he took her hand and held it. "I won’t go any further, Penny, but I would like you to be my girlfriend," he said quietly.  
"I’m not sixteen yet. My folks’ rule. But I don’t mind being a very close friend," she said with a smile. The flutter-dragons squeaked in amusement and started dancing around the room.

________________________________________

"I really feel better, Maureen. How long did I sleep?" John asked.  
"Eight hours, but you’re going to sleep some more, either here or in the cabin," Maureen said to him. By the time John had finished the dinner that Penny had brought down, he was yawning again.  
"Let’s sleep here," he said simply. She took the tray, laid it by the chariot and then dug pillows and blankets out of the all-terrain rover. With those in hand she returned to John where she dropped one of the pillows in his lap and a blanket next to him. "That’s a broad enough hint," he said laughing. Then he swung the pillow at her, but he could only guess at her position and she easily jumped out of the way. Maureen didn’t anticipate his finding her hand and pulling her down on top of him, though.  
His lips found hers and John was finally able to give his wife the long and passionate greeting that he had dreamed of for more than five days. After awhile she was snuggled close to him under the blankets and he murmured in her ear, "This is what I missed, Maureen."  
"Um, me too," she said sleepily. Soon both had fallen asleep. Silverado and Maggie chirped happily from the limb of a tiny tree where they had taken up residence with their companions.

________________________________________

The next morning, John woke up in a cold sweat, the tendrils of a nightmare floating from his recollection. All he could remember was that it involved a battle and the death of many combatants. Immediately, he felt the light touch of Silverado in his consciousness, a balm of Gilead to calm his troubled thoughts. The flutter-dragon touched down on his shoulder. Focusing, John saw his surroundings and to his disappointment, noticed that Maureen was gone.  
Throwing the blanket aside, he stretched and got up. Silverado squeaked and he saw Maggie hover into view. Her message was unmistakable. ‘Come to breakfast.’ Chuckling, John ran his hand through his hair, threw on his clothes, and went up the elevator to the galley. There he saw the family gathered, just beginning the meal.  
"Remember me? Thought I might make an appearance," he said with a smile and sat down at the crowded table.  
"It will be a quick one, dear. The Confederation Council heard that you were indisposed yesterday afternoon and postponed their meeting until this morning. As soon as you’ve eaten, you and Mdorin need to take a shuttle to the Confederation ship.  
"You’re coming, too," was all he said, before tackling the large breakfast she had fixed.  
The ‘Clawed Deliverer’ was a very large ship, and her conference room was large as well. When John and Maureen arrived, accompanied by Mdorin, he was embarrassed to be greeted with a standing ovation, with only the Graxod contingent remaining seated. He didn’t blame them; his action had effectively changed the way of life that they had known for half a millennium. Silverado flapped his wings and squeaked as loudly as he could. ‘Yes, you are a superb warrior, too,’ he assured the lizard.  
Prowlith greeted him with a bow. "Lord Commander, we are honored by your presence."  
‘John Robinson, I told you that your friends from K’rt’rm would have a very important role to play. It appears that I was right,’ a voice flowed into his mind. Looking around John was astonished to see Murreena, along with several other of her race.  
Smiling to her, he acknowledged her message. ‘This flutter-dragon not only saved me, but also Earth. Yes, you were right, Murreena,’ he told her.  
Looking around, John was astonished to see representatives of Marador and Wereeshen, as well as a few worlds he was unfamiliar with. They had followed through, and he was filled with gratitude, because he felt that now, not only Earth, but other worlds would be protected from future conquests.  
"John Robinson, the Council wishes you to speak to the assemblage on fitting punishment or retribution for the Graxod, since you have the most knowledge and experience in this matter," Prowlith told him.  
John perused the audience, looking hard at the assembled Graxod. "I really have very little to say." He heard his voice being translated and amplified. "Earth was spared damage by Graxod invaders, and we suffered very few injuries, so any discussion about punishment or reparations will have to be dealt with by the diplomats that accompanied us from Earth. What any other races desire will be between them, the Graxod and this council should they choose to continue their involvement. The only point I want to make is that conquest of other races to perpetuate your own is wrong." John looked directly at the Graxod contingent. "But I don’t believe that the Graxod’s physiological problems are irreversible. Earth doctors have been working on immuno-deficiency diseases for several decades now and have made headway. Artificial organs have been in use on Earth for the past few years. I see no reason for that knowledge not to be passed on to the Graxod scientists and physicians. Then there would be no need for hosts. But that is something to be taken up with the leaders on Earth."  
"The last official act that I wish to make as Lord Commander is to relinquish my position. I hereby declare my second in command, Mdorin cl Graxod, as my successor and pass to him my plantiod-crinth. As a Lord Commander, I give this to you in hopes that it will help you to achieve long life." John said ceremonially and handed the sword, with its sheath to the faithful Graxod. "As a human, I sincerely hope that you never have to use this on another sentient being. Thank you for your loyalty and help. You have been a true Graxod sub-commander." He bowed to the astonished and overwhelmed Mdorin.  
"Thank you, my Lord. I will treasure this as well as my service under your command."  
Turning to Prowlith, John stated. "I thank the Confederation and all of its members for answering my plea for help in this manner. You have the gratitude of the whole Earth."  
"It was only a matter of deployment, Commander Robinson, because the request was just. I look forward, as a representative of the Confederation, to a close relationship with your home world," she told him.  
"I leave the disposition of the captured ships to the confederation and those who accompanied me here. I will now take my leave. I made a promise to journey to the Urgorrim world and that journey needs to be made soon. With your permission, we will depart now." Bowing, he and Maureen left the assemblage.


	22. Earth (again)

John sat languidly in a lounge chair nursing a scalding cup of hot chocolate. The air outside the mountain cabin was crisp, and the heat from the cup felt good. Silverado sat on his shoulder, scolding the other eight flutter-dragons, all of whom were perched on the deck railing, staring at him. Eight pairs of golden eyes imploring him at the same time were disconcerting.  
"You unconscionable brats. Go! Have fun!" he told them. Telepathically, he warned them of predators they needed to watch out for. The eight lizards squeaked reassuringly and flew off through the pines.  
The flutter-dragons were somewhat myopic, so as he instructed Silverado to focus on the distant mountains, they appeared blurred and muted, softened. Somewhat disappointed, John watched the low hanging clouds floating like ghostly fingers around and about them. They are aptly named, he thought. Like smoke.  
Silverado chirped longingly. ‘Go, my friend. You have earned your freedom for the day,’ he told the lizard. Squeaking with pleasure, the silver flutter-dragon launched himself into the morning sky.  
In order to have this day and a half with his family, John had insulted two senators, three generals and the chief of Alpha Control. And he came extremely close to assaulting several members of the press. His taped deposition of the Graxod incident was recorded during the hyperjump back to Earth and promptly laid on the desk of the Secretary of State, at which time he, Maureen and the kids took off with the help of Ben Mitchell.  
The previous evening his father and four brothers and sisters had arrived, and they all occupied a large cabin perched on the side of a mountain outside of Townsend, Tennessee. The view was exquisite. This morning, Colleen and Joan were supposed to join them. John supposed that if someone had really been trying hard, they could have found them fairly easily. But knowing Ben Mitchell as he did, he also believed that his friend had found a way to secure this idyllic hideaway from prying eyes.  
The screen slid open quietly and then closed with a slight click. Light footsteps approached. "Dad?" John asked.  
"John, I thought I saw that little creature of yours fly off. How did you do that?"  
"Don’t worry, Dad. There’s no telepathy involved here. You were the most likely candidate to be up this early," John said, sipping his chocolate.  
"Really beautiful this morning, isn’t it?" his father asked after a slight pause.  
"It’s wonderful. Recycled air and metal walls get old after awhile." John knew that his father was uncomfortable with his disability, but right now he wasn’t sure how to solve that problem. He also had quickly realized that his newly acquired telepathic abilities had caused some uncomfortable moments as well. "Pull up a chair, Dad," he said with a smile.  
The father and son sat in silence for a few minutes. Then John put his mug down next to the chair, and made his way to the railing. The breeze swirled around, sometimes blowing up the hillside, sometimes coming directly from the west. He reveled at the fresh tang of pines, damp tree bark and dead leaves. A squirrel was chattering in a nearby tree, and jays were scolding each other from various points around him. Two woodpeckers made a light drumbeat of sound a little distance down the slope.  
John heard his father shifting his weight, and he turned around to face him. "I’m a very fortunate man, Dad. I have Maureen and the kids. For a while, that was questionable. I also have access to nine lizards and their abilities. I have absolutely nothing to complain about. And I’m doing that which brings me great pleasure."  
"And what is that, John? What are you going to do now?" his father asked. "Now that . . . um….” His father paused, not knowing what to say next. “You realize that you are a hero to every kid on Earth and most of the adults as well. I would venture to say that you could do exactly what you pleased if you stayed here."  
Making his way back to the chair, John pondered what had been residing in the back of his mind for several months. "I feel that space is my home now, Dad. I felt restless on Karturm, and finally realized that I was most happy when I was with my family exploring what the galaxy had to offer. I suppose that I fully understood that only when the pressure of trying to find our way back here was eased."  
John felt his father’s hand on his arm. It still felt strong and reassuring, just as it had when he was a little boy. "Johnny, I felt that impression when you were here eight months ago. I felt that you were just a visitor on Earth and not a resident. Does the rest of your family feel the same way?"  
Nodding, John said, "Yes, I believe so. What I am most grateful for is the fact that we can explore and also return home periodically." He lay against the back of the lounge chair with a deep sigh. "There is so much out there that’s unexplored. It’s very exciting, but also very dangerous at times. I would imagine that we will be ready to settle on Alpha Centauri soon."  
"John, I am proud of each one of you, I have five of the finest children a man could be blessed with, but somehow I knew that you were destined for things that I could only dream of, something greater than could be imagined."  
John could feel the flush of embarrassment on his face. "Thanks, Dad," he said softly.  
________________________________________  
Penny was increasingly confused. She remembered the time when she had done anything to stay with her family, but now she was older and a small piece of her wanted to stay on Earth and live a normal life. One that included Josh Black, the young man who made her feel so special. Penny had been glad when his mother had let him return to Earth with the Jupiter II instead of coming back on the Graxod ship that Dad had given his mother command of.  
Right now, Josh was bantering, making small talk, trying to do anything to avoid the inevitable separation. Penny knew that with just a word, she could stay here. She could live with Grandpa or Aunt Colleen, go to school, have a social life, go to the mall, enjoy pizzas, dances, slumber parties and talk about boys, Josh in particular. Miss her family. A tear trickled down her cheek. Josh saw it and reaching over, wiped it away with his finger.  
"I wish I could go with you, Penny. I know you could stay here, but I think you would be miserable," he said. She looked at him curiously.  
"How do you know?" Penny asked, a bit irritated that someone was trying to second guess her desires and thoughts. "I might just like it here. I might like living a normal life."  
"Oh, Penny, you’ve been out there too long. It’s changed you. And you would constantly worry about the rest of your family," Josh philosophized. "I have never seen a family that’s tight like yours. It’s partly what you’ve been through. If anything, I’d like to come with you, but I know your folks would be uncomfortable with that."  
Even though she was sure he was right, she asked, "How do you know, have you asked?"  
"And it would be so hard to leave Mom. Even though she seems so independent, she and I have been a twosome forever."  
"But you were going to go off to college after this year anyway, weren’t you?"  
"Yes, but that’s different," he said softly, unsure of himself. "The other side of the galaxy is so far away. I don’t think I could fit in either."  
"Sure you could," Penny told him, excitement building.  
"Not now, Penny. Maybe in a year, when I graduate. Just promise me that you’ll come back and visit. You can do that now," he said. Penny’s tears flowed down her cheeks. There was no all-perfect solution to this dilemma. Josh handed her a tissue.  
From his position near the ship, John could not hear the conversation, but stray thoughts and emotions filtered to him enough for him to tell that the two young people were trying to come to terms with their feelings. He felt how torn Penny was now that she had found companionship of her own age, and he ached for her. Silverado squeaked encouragement as the professor approached the children. No, he corrected himself, they are no longer children; they are young adults.  
"Josh, we’ll come back to visit Earth as often as we can. And maybe you’ll be a new crewmember in the near future. Good help is so hard to find," John said with a smile.  
Josh looked askance at him, not totally happy about having his thoughts picked up so easily. Then he realized what the professor had said to him. "Really?" he asked.  
"Yes, I don’t suppose that we’ll explore forever. Someday we’ll settle down, as we were supposed to when we started this trip, and it’s unrealistic to think that six people can make it alone."  
"Seven, Dad," Penny corrected him.  
"Yes, and baby makes seven," he said laughing. "Josh, would you like to join our expedition when you’ve graduated?"  
"Yes!" Josh cried.  
"Yes, what?" Esther asked as she approached. John saw fatigue etched on her face and guessed that she had just barely returned to Earth on the Graxod ship.  
"I offered your son a spot in our expedition after he finishes school. That is, if that doesn’t interfere with...." John paused, feeling awkward, for proposing something he possibly shouldn’t have.  
With a wry smile, Esther looked at him, looked at Josh and at Penny. "I had always figured that Josh would go on and eventually follow in my footsteps, but I have felt lately that I’ve been unrealistic. I suppose if my son wants to be a space explorer then he couldn’t have better teachers.   
"Thanks, Esther," John said. The look of relief was quite evident as well. "Penny, it’s almost time for launch," he added softly.  
Esther walked over to John and kissed him on the cheek. Silverado squeaked in surprise and his companion looked a bit self-conscious. "John, I can’t tell you that it’s been totally fun, but it has been a wonderful experience and I’m glad for it. May God be with you in your journeys, and don’t forget where we live.” She paused then said quietly, “Shalom"  
"Thank you, Esther," he said. "And I’ve enjoyed your company . . . most of the time."  
Josh and Penny both grimaced at his reference. The two adults just laughed. Reaching over, and despite the possible wrath of both parents, Josh embraced Penny and kissed her tenderly. Edmund flew over to his shoulder and squeaked triumphantly.  
Josh stood next to his mother and watched the two Robinsons walk into the spacecraft. They didn’t leave the launch area until well after the Jupiter II was out of sight.  
Some distance away, Scott Barlow watched the departure of the Jupiter II. He had declined going with the family. Not only because of his continued wrestling with his feelings for Judy, but because he was really not needed. The Robinsons had become an extremely self-sufficient family. Even the imminent birth of Judy’s baby was not enough reason for him to be aboard. She was healthy, the pregnancy was textbook perfect by all the diagnostics and Maureen was extremely capable, not to mention the fact that they were going to a planet with excellent facilities. Time to make your own destiny, Scott, old boy, he said to himself as he walked away.

________________________________________

In the middle of the night, several days after the Jupiter II had made the jump into hyperspace, Judy woke up restless. Actually, Mark had awakened her. He was restless. It was getting more and more difficult to get a full night’s sleep. The baby had gotten large and he was very active. Throwing a blanket over her shoulders, she made her way to the observation deck. Don’s cryogenically preserved form rested tranquilly inside the chamber. Despite the slightly opaque, gaseous vapor floating within, she could still make out his features.  
"Oh, Don. We’re getting there as fast as we can. A member of the Confederation gave us coordinates that will get us to Urgorrim faster than the way we came." Her fingertips lightly touched the cold outer surface of the cryogenic chamber. "I miss you so much. So very much. I only hope that you are well before Mark comes." Judy had been making a habit of coming in and talking to her husband when the others weren’t there, usually at night. It was something that she had to do. Now she understood why the families of comatose patients needed to talk to their loved ones, even if they couldn’t respond. It made her feel better to talk to him, tell him what was going on.  
She told him about the visit on Earth. About how big Mark was getting. How sad Penny had been to leave Josh. And how Scott had been a perfect gentleman. The bantering went beyond the few minutes she expected, and her aching back told her she had been talking far longer than her body could take. A slight pain radiated from her lower back all the way around to the front of her stomach. No, not now, she pleaded. The pain wasn’t repeated and Judy relaxed. She concluded that she had only been standing too long. Touching the cylinder one last time, she returned to her cabin and fell asleep.  
Over the next few days, there were several instances of pain, some slight and some more intense. Judy attributed it to the stress of her body carrying the baby. It was a game of rationalization that the young wife carried with her throughout the trip in hyperspace.


	23. All Good Things

On the day they landed on Ugorrim, Judy had an extremely uncomfortable backache, and finally had to relinquish piloting duties over to her father. Lying on one of the shock couches, she waited for the discomfort to ease, at the same time listening to the conversation around her. For several days, she had been plagued by almost constant backaches, but today had been the worst.  
"Will, do you have the coordinates entered into the navigational computer?" her dad asked. Judy could feel the tension in his voice. Relying on the vision of the flutter-dragons during such a delicate and intense situation as a landing would be nerve wracking, and she felt guilty having to force that on him.  
"Yes, sir. It’s in," her brother said.  
"John, Rrangruk said that he’s assembling a medical team, and that if Don wasn’t in any worse shape than you were last time we were here, there should be no problem," her mother declared from the communications console.  
"Great, then let’s get the old girl down."  
Judy knew that the Jupiter II was descending, but the discomfort that began in her back was now changing venue. Please, no, not now, she thought. Then she sighed as the pain dissipated once more.  
"Hang on, everybody. I’m not the skilled pilot that Don is, so this will be a bit rougher," Dad said, cutting in on her thoughts. Silverado watched the instrument panel intently, squeaking softly.  
Soon she felt better and followed the landing with more interest. A bit of turbulence shook the ship, and Judy watched her father grip the controls tighter, his knuckles turning white with the effort. Then they were into the lower atmosphere and the surface was rushing toward them. A slight hesitation in the descent of the craft indicated the activation of the repulsers. Then the slight thump of landing signaled the completion of the journey.  
Getting up from the couch, she stood at the observation window and saw several bear-like creatures, most of them white, waiting nearby. Penny activated the ramp and Rrangruk and his medical team came aboard.  
"The tricky part is the transition from the cryogenic state to the life support," Rrangruk rumbled. His sharp black eyes looked in her direction. "And it appears that you will be needing medical assistance soon as well," he added with a toothy smile. She smiled back weakly.  
Aurora chirped in concern as another wave of discomfort rolled across her abdomen. Her back still hurt, and she was worried about Don. She was not about to interrupt her mother and Rrangruk over something that would probably take some time to develop. ‘You keep quiet,’ she admonished the flutter-dragon. Flapping her wings, Aurora settled down, wrapping her tail around Judy’s neck. Mom was adjusting the controls that would bring Don out of his cryogenic state.  
As soon as the return to normalcy was achieved, Don’s unconscious form was placed on the stretcher and the various life-supporting machinery attached. The awful wound was still evident and Judy shuddered. Another pain. They were getting closer together, but Judy was still not overly concerned. First babies took longer.  
"I’ll be right along, Maureen. I didn’t get everything shut down from the landing," Dad said as he worked at the control panel.  
"I... I will come in with Dad. The wound...it brings back....I’m sorry." Her mother nodded and left with the Urgorrim medical team.  
"I’ll be right back, Dad," she said, thinking that she might as well get some of her things to take when she went in with her dad. The next pain came as the elevator reached the lower level. Obviously she had miscalculated; she was not only in labor, but probably had been for the past few days. She was at the same time relieved and horribly disappointed. Several more minutes passed. She could almost see her muscles contract as the next spasm came on her. Too fast! she thought. Judy leaned against the wall, panting. The pain was becoming more intense and with frightening speed.  
Now her concern wasn’t in not having Don with her, it was fear that she would have the baby alone, and she wasn’t prepared for that. It caused a paroxysm of fear to pass through her mind. ‘Dad!’ she cried telepathically. She didn’t have his ability, but hoped that he would hear her now. Judy could feel his mental presence, even though he wasn’t concentrating on her. ‘Daddy, please help me!’   
‘Judy?’ his thoughts asked. ‘Judy, what’s wrong?’ And then immediately a declaration. ‘I’m coming.’   
Relief flowed through her and she headed to her cabin. As she reached the door another contraction ripped through her, and she gripped the edge of the doorframe. Vaguely, Judy heard the whoosh of the elevator and then felt her father’s presence near her side.  
"Judy, the baby?" he asked. She could only nod.  
"Oh, good Lord," he breathed. "How far apart?"  
"I don’t know, Dad. I’ve been worrying so much about Don that I let everything that Mom taught me fly out the window." Suddenly, Judy could restrain herself no longer, and she began to cry. She cried from the pain, from fear, from disappointment. Her dad put his arms around her and comforted her. "I feel so stupid," she added.  
"You’re fine, sweetheart. We need to get you comfortable. You don’t need to be standing out here in the doorway," he said soothingly. Silverado chirped from his shoulder.  
Another contraction came and she gripped her dad so hard that he took a quick intake of breath. "3:43," he said looking at a wall clock He led her to her bed and then he turned to the intercom. "Robot," he said sharply.  
"Yes, Professor Robinson," came the answer.  
"Call my wife and tell her to get back here immediately. Judy’s in hard labor."  
Judy felt another pain coming and moaned as it strengthened. It seemed to last forever.  
"Two minutes," he murmured.  
The pain had receded and Judy couldn’t help herself. She giggled and then moaned. "Dad, I need help getting on the bed."  
"Oh, I’m sorry, dear," he said, the embarrassment at his lack of foresight plainly showing on his face. He gently picked her up and laid her on the bed. About the time she was sitting somewhat comfortably, the next spasm hit her, eliciting a sharp cry.  
"Good heavens, if that wasn’t exponential... That was no more than a minute and a half," he said, gathering the pillows behind her back so she could recline more comfortably.  
"Daddy, it’s not a mathematical equation, it’s a baby," Judy hissed tersely between clenched teeth.  
"Will was the only one who came this fast, and I didn’t even have time to get there until the very end," he said in consternation.  
"Dad, I need your help. The baby isn’t patient and I’m not ready," Judy had regained a slight sense of equilibrium and gave instructions calmly and patiently to her father. Another blanket of pain. So fierce, penetrating and seemingly forever. The intensity temporarily broke her concentration. About the time that one pain began rolling into another, her dad finished carrying out her instructions. Aurora was sitting nearby, her golden eyes glittering with worry. Suddenly, she flew up and sat next to Silverado and waves of soothing, calm feelings entered Judy’s mind.  
"Thanks, Dad," she gasped. It’s time, she thought. She strained, pushing and then lay back to rest. Again and again. It seemed an eternity. Exhaustion set in. Just come, my child. Let’s get this over with. Please. And then, finally she felt a cessation of pressure and heard a cry.  
"Mark!" she said happily, panting from the exertion. "Let me see him, Daddy." The tears started flowing down her cheeks. Her dad looked up at her, deep emotion etched on his face. He looked back down at her baby, and she saw a tear roll down his face.  
"He’s beautiful, princess," Dad said, gingerly laying him on her stomach. The baby was loosely wrapped in a sheet, and his feet and hands waved in indignation at this rude expulsion from his comfortable world of nine months. His soft cries tugged at her heart, and she took a tiny hand in one of hers and with her other, touched his cheek, his ears, nose, and mouth, her fingers finding every part of his body. She smoothed his damp, dark, full head of hair and giggled when Mark found his thumb and sucked it noisily.  
Mom rushed in the room and looked at the sight in wonder. "You’re a grandma, Mo," Dad said softly, his eyes shining with emotion. Quickly she finished taking care of mother and child, and Judy was soon cuddling her firstborn.

________________________________________

Don felt wispy tendrils of conscious thought coalesce and he wondered where he was. Then he remembered the Graxod ship and shuddered in remembrance. It was then he realized that his present surroundings were totally unfamiliar. Looking around, he saw a great shaggy bear-like creature on the far side of the room. Urgorrim! he thought and wondered how long he had been unconscious.  
"Don," he heard John say and turned his head to see his father-in-law grinning broadly at him. Silverado and Jimmy Doolittle sat on his shoulder squeaking triumphantly.  
"What happened after.... How long have I been out of it?" he asked in confusion.  
"You were hurt badly enough that you were put in cryogenics and you’ve been out of it for almost a month," John explained.  
"Judy?" he asked.  
"She’s fine, my friend," John answered.  
"You won the duel, I see," Don said, with a smile of his own. "Never doubted it." He looked carefully at John. "Bet Kalingdor didn’t know what hit him."  
"I suppose. Now, Don, you hush a minute and listen to what I have to say."  
"Yeah," he said, puzzled. Suddenly he felt so tired and just wanted to go to sleep again. A whole month. That would mean.... "John, the baby?"  
"You are the father of a beautiful, two day old, eight pound, nine ounce baby boy. Congratulations Papa."  
His befuddled mind felt the impact of that statement. "A father? Me? Two days old? When can I see him?" His voice rose in excitement.  
John laughed. "That’s up to Rrangruk. He’ll make those decisions, I’ll be indisposed for a day or two."  
"My son...." he fell asleep, a great smile on his face.  
Rrangruk approached quietly as Don drifted back to sleep. The professor nodded a greeting. "Congratulations, my friend, on being a grandsire. Now we need to get you ready for your session in regeneration. It should be simple this time compared to the last."  
"Yes," John concurred in a low voice, his mind still on the miracle that occurred two days previous.

________________________________________

Two days later, it was John who slowly returned to consciousness and Don who was standing nearby, Jimmy perched on his shoulder. "Hi, Grandpa. About time you decided to join us. How do you feel?"  
Silverado was nowhere to be seen or sensed. John looked around in wonder, blinked and then looked back up at Don. "Great, Don. How about you?"  
"Wonderful. I have spent the last day holding Mark and listening to everybody fill me in on the past events. That must have been incredible, delivering the baby. Thanks."  
"You want me to lie or tell the truth?" John asked with a smile. "I was scared to death. And yes, it was incredible." Sitting up, he continued gazing around the room. It was as though he couldn’t get enough.  
Silverado came streaking into the room, landed on the end of the bed and peered at him. ‘My friend, you have saved my life. I may not need your eyes anymore, but you are still my friend. You are still needed," he assured the agitated flutter-dragon. The lizard’s frantic squeaking subsided into chirps of contentment.  
"Well, what’s next, John?" Don asked. "What do we do for an encore?"  
"We go back to Karturm, watch Mark get big and fat for a few months and then we slowly travel to Alpha Centauri, exploring the galaxy on the way," he declared.

The End


End file.
